Hidden Hope
by Flamesong
Summary: Love, hate, torture, fear, longing. Who doesn't experience these feelings? Then again, who experiences them the way Shiver does?- Yeah, ignore the summary. This is a torture story that I've been dying to write! Plz R&R! Rated T for blood and safety.
1. Allegiances

**Hey there!!! I'm hoping to get the prologue up soon, so please be patient! In the meantime, here are the allegiances! Ya might not wanna read them cuz it might kinda spoil a little bit of the story…. but it doesn't really matter!**

Allegiances

Sheek- slick tortie tom with long, sharp claws and an oily pelt; as well as extremely dark amber eyes, almost brown

Lightning- gaunt, but strong smoky black tabby tom with pale amber eyes

Shard- pure white tom with dark blue eyes and long, slick fur

Ember- fluffy, dark ginger tom with golden eyes and a white chest

Jade- elegant dark, chocolate brown she-cat with dark green eyes

Storm- pretty dark gray she-cat with blue-gray eyes

Shiver- graceful pale silver and white she-cat with pale, ice blue eyes

Razor- rusty ginger tom with bright amber eyes

Bristle- thick-furred black tom with yellow eyes

**No, there are not that many cats in this story. It doesn't really make that big of a difference, so yeah. Hope you stick around and read the rest of the story!!!**

**~Flamesong**


	2. Prologue

**Hooray!!!! My torture story is beginning!!!!! Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me- Sadly I do not own Warriors. If I did, Ashfur would have never been born.**

**Ashfur- HEY!!!!!**

**Me- What?!**

**Ashfur- Why don't I get to be born?!?!?!?!**

**Me- *rolls eyes* Cuz tons of people hate you?**

**Ashfur- Why would anyone hate me? I'M AWESOME!!! *cheesy grin***

**Me- *sighs* Ashfur. I think you forgot to take your medication this morning.**

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Prologue

The tiny kit lay quietly, pressed against her mother's belly. Her soft silver pelt glowed gently in the moonlight. A faint breeze ruffled the leaves of the nursery and the little she-cat sighed in her sleep. All of RiverClan camp was silent. Only the faint breeze of new-leaf caused gentle rustles around the clearing. The full moon shone down brightly on the half empty camp. Most of the warriors had gone to the gathering. Not many had been left behind to protect the camp.

Suddenly, the reeds quivered and parted to reveal a narrow black face followed by a sleek tabby body. The cat's amber eyes gleamed knowingly and his tail flicked silently in the air, once, twice, three times. Three more sets of eyes appeared in the reeds, slowly melting into the shadows of the clearing. The black cat padded to the center of the sandy camp, followed by the other three cats. They slowly proceeded towards the nursery, keeping to the shadows.

The black tom slipped through the entrance, signaling for a dark tabby she-cat to follow. The she-cat's green eyes glinted with an intelligent light as she trailed after her leader. Inside the nursery, the two cats look carefully over the queens and kits. The dark she-cat flicked her ears when she saw the tiny silver kit. Carefully, she leaned over and grabbed it by the scruff. The kit blinked her eyes open, but didn't make a sound. They shimmered brightly in the dim light. The black tom looked at the kit closely, sniffing it carefully. He slowly nodded and the kit was shoved out, into the night.

She squeaked softly and tried, clumsily to stand up on her paws. Before she could complete the task, a slick white cat grabbed her and dropped her into a sack that a ginger tom held. She sat, fumbling around in the darkness, squeaking for her mother.

Meanwhile, the black tabby selected two more kits and a dark gray queen. The two kits were dumped in the sack and the dark she-cat dragged the queen into the clearing. The white tom prodded the queen with a claw. She woke up with a small squeal, causing a couple of the other queens to roll over in their nests. The ginger cat quickly brought his paw down on the queen's head, knocking her out. Then, without another sound, the queen was picked up by two of the evil strangers, and they all padded out of the camp, dragging the sack of fearful kits along beside them.

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**Dun, dun, dun!!!!!! Evil little kitty cats stole the poor little Riverclan kittens!!! =( It was kinda short, but hey! It's the prologue! There will be more to this story soon… very soon… MUWHAHAHAHAHA!!!!**

**(Don't forget to R&R!!!!!!!)**

**~Flamesong**


	3. Chapter 1

**Yay!!!!!!! Chappie one is up!!!! I honestly didn't think I was going to get it done this quickly, but I did!!! WOOT WOOT!!! I'm really pumped now... Anyways, enjoy the first chappie of my story!!!**

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Chapter 1

Four cats' silhouettes flashed as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. A huge building loomed in the distance. Its windows were shattered and the bricks looked as if they were about to crumble into little pebbles. Spiders skittered away as the felines padded through the open doorway, hauling two bundles. The black tom flicked his tail for the others to follow. He wound his way down a dark series of hallways, floor boards creaking as he stepped. They emerged into a large room, filled with broken furniture and several boxes.

A large shape loomed on top of a half empty book shelf, watching the cats as they entered the room. The black tom lifted his head. "Hello Sheek." He mewed gruffly. The dark, tortoiseshell shape slowly descended and came to stand in front of the others.

"What have you brought me today?" He mewed, his eyes glinting evilly.

The ginger tom and white tom set down their burden; the dark gray Riverclan queen. Sheek inspected her, checking her claws and teeth. He finally nodded in satisfaction.

"She'll be perfect." He sneered, his claws digging into the carpet. Then he nodded to the dark tabby she-cat and she brought forward the large sack. Sheek stuck his head in and pulled out a dark ginger tom-kit that squealed wildly, his limbs flailing in the air.

"He'll be a good worker." Sheek mewed darkly. "Nice and strong."

He dropped the kit on the floor and pulled out a second kit. A broad shouldered black tom. The tom didn't make a sound, but tried in vain to escape Sheek's firm grasp.

"Good, good." He meowed, dropping the kit next to the other. "Now the last one."

He fished the silver she-cat out of the sack, setting her on the floor for him to inspect. She didn't squeak or squeal, she only looked up at him with pale, icy blue eyes. Sheek ran his claws through her silky fur and pried open her mouth with a claw. Then he sat back and surveyed her once more.

"She's the best kit I've ever seen." He declared. "You did well in picking her out, Jade."

The dark tabby she-cat dipped her head in silent thanks. Sheek grunted and flicked his tail at the unconscious queen.

"Wake her up Shard." He growled. "You'll be her mate."

The white tom's eyes gleamed and he prodded the she-cat with a claw, causing blood to trickle down her shoulder. The dark gray cat jerked awake, yowling. Shard quickly slashed her muzzle.

"Shut up!" He hissed. "You're **mine **now, and you'll do as I say. What's your name precious?"

"S-Stormspirit." The dark she-cat stuttered fearfully.

Shard rolled his eyes. "Stupid clan names! Well it's not your name anymore! Your name is Storm, and these are your kits."

Shard flicked his tail at the three kits laying beside Sheek. Storm stared at them in horror.

"Oh, no!" She cried. "Moonpetal will be devastated when she finds Silverkit is gone! That was her only kit!" Storm suddenly turned on Shard and hissed furiously. "Why have you done this?! Kidnapping innocent kits! Y-You're evil!"

Shard quickly brought his paw down over the she-cat's head, knocking her out once again. "Stupid annoying she-cat." He growled.

Sheek nodded in approval. "She's strong and young enough to give us plenty of kits." Then he turned to the other cats. "Ember, help Shard carry Storm and the kits back to the cages. Lightning, you stay here."

The fluffy ginger tom nodded and quickly picked up the three kits while Shard dragged Storm out the door. Jade followed them, her tail waving in the air. The black tom stepped forward, his amber eyes blazing intently.

"What did you want to speak to me about?" His voice was low and quiet.

"I need you to contact my brother and get him going on spreading the word of our business." Sheek mewed gruffly. "Also I wanted to tell you that I am very pleased with the cats you brought back. You'll make an efficient leader."

Lightning nodded. "Thank you Sheek." He mewed. Then he turned and padded out of the door and towards his den.

---the next day---

The little silver she-kit awoke to a loud squeak. Ember padded into the room, followed by Shard. Storm lifted her head and bared her teeth. Ember grinned, mockingly as Shard opened the cage door. Storm edged to the back of the metal box and pulled her tail around the kits, hissing menacingly.

"It's about time you learn to respect us!" Shard smirked. "So we're taking you for a visit to the Blood Tree."

Ember chuckled, his eyes gleaming in anticipation. Storm's fur stood on end in fear as Shard easily grabbed her scruff and dragged her out of the cage. The three kits huddled in the back of the cage as Ember clanged the metal door shut. Then the two cats pushed a quivering Storm through the door and herded her down the hall. The silver she-kit whimpered and pressed against her two companions.

Soon the floor boards squeaked again and Lightning's angular head appeared in the doorway. He weaved around the other cages and unhooked the cage door to the kits' cage.

"It's about time we named you three." He sneered and grabbed the kits' scruffs.

All three kits squeaked and cried as they were drug into Sheek's room. Lightning dropped them on the carpet and looked up at his tortoiseshell leader, who was lying on the arm of a sofa, tail hanging down the side, twitching restlessly. He nodded a quick greeting to Lightning flicked his tail at the large ginger tom. Lightning picked the kit up and dropped him on the sofa, next to Sheek.

"Names?" Sheek grunted, watching the kit squirm.

Lightning dipped his head. "Jade said Flicker, Shard said Blaze, Ember said Razor, and I say Viper."

Sheek thought for a moment before responding. "Razor." He mewed decisively.

Lightning nodded and set the newly named Razor back on the floor. Then he plucked the black tom from his spot and set him beside Sheek.

"Shard said Fang, Jade said Snarl, Ember said Badger, and I say Bristle." Lightning recited.

"Bristle." Sheek meowed immediately.

Next, Lightning put Bristle back and swung the little silver kit up to the sofa.

"Ember said Moonlight, Jade said Brook, Shard said Ice, and I say Wing.

She sat, looking up at Sheek with her bright blue eyes. Sheek looked back at her and shivered.

"That's what her name will be." He grunted. "Shiver, because every time she looks at me with those icy eyes, it makes me want to shiver."

Lightning smiled. "It fits her perfectly."

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**Whoooooooooooooooo!!!!! She has a name!!!!!!!!! Just so ya know, Shiver is going to be the main character. I haven't really been pushing that very much... but I will now!!! Also, PRETTY PLEASE R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINKS!!!!!**

**~Flamesong  
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	4. Chapter 2

**OMG!!!!!!! Thanks all you guys for favoriting and my story!!!! And btw, all you people who reviewed are now my most favorite people in the world! Thank you! I'm really excited for this chapter! It actually gets really good!!! But if you're the squeamish type, I would advise you not read this. It's kinda graphic at the end. Oh, also, this part is from Shiver's POV, and she was so young when she was captured that she has no memory of what happened. She thinks that Storm is really her mother and Bristle and Razor are really her brothers.**

**I is also sorry for not putting this up sooner! I was going to put it up yesterday, but I didn't have time...  
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Chapter 2

A dark shadow fell across the door and Shiver's eyes flickered open. She looked up weakly. Shard's dark blue gaze seeped through her.

"Out of the way kit." He growled.

Shiver quickly shuffled to the side of the cage, hugging the wall. Her two brothers cowered in the back, behind Storm. Shiver's mother hissed angrily, but didn't resist as Shard grabbed her scruff and dragged her out of the cage. Shiver found it difficult to believe that Shard was her father, but it was true. Still, she hated Shard and took every chance she had to gaze at him in spite with her icy eyes.

"They're coming to look at the kits today." Ember mewed gruffly, appearing in the doorway. "Meanwhile, you get to pay a visit to Shard's den."

Shard smirked at her. Storm shivered slightly but reluctantly followed the white tom without protest. Ember smirked and padded up to the still open cage.

"C'mon little kittens." He grinned. "We got some visitors here to take a look at you." He then batted all three kittens out onto the floor. Razor squeaked nervously. Shiver looked up at Ember, letting all the hate she could possibly hold, stream out of her eyes. Ember stared at her and flinched, growling.

"I hope they take you." He snarled. "Those eyes are awful."

Shiver glared at him for another heartbeat before shaking her pelt off and padding over to her brothers. Ember followed her, ushering the kits out the door and down the hallway with his tail. They all emerged into Sheeks huge room and looked around. Shiver had faint memories of the room, but they seemed so far away and clouded. Sometimes she could recall more than others. Once she remembered staring up at Sheek's dark amber eyes, and Sheek shivering. But maybe it had been a dream.

Sheek's dark tortie shape appeared at the top of a bookcase and flew down to the floor in one huge leap. Shiver had only seen Sheek a couple times before when he had come to check on them in the cage and see how his followers were taking care of them. The one thing about Sheek that scared Shiver were his ears. They twitched constantly, as if taking in every uneasy murmur and sigh. Nothing seemed to escape his notice.

"Lightning will be here soon with our visitors." Sheek growled, flicking his tail towards the back wall. "Put the kits in the cages."

Ember nodded and shoved Shiver forward so that she stumbled over her paws. She hissed as her muzzle was pushed into the carpet, but quickly got up, following her brothers to the many cages lined up against the wall. They all started to pile into the cage, but Ember stopped them.

"No, no, no!" He growled. "Separate cages!

Shiver and Bristle backed up, letting Ember close the cage door on Razor, whose ears were laid back flat. After the kits had gotten into their cages, Ember sat off to the side. Jade soon appeared and joined him. Before long, faint mews were heard down the hallway. They got closer until Lightning padded into the room, followed by a huge gray she-cat and two golden tabby toms.

"We got our first three kits about two moons ago." Lightning was mewing. Then he saw Sheek and quickly introduced his leader. "This is Sheek, our leader."

Sheek nodded with a sly smile. "Welcome! I hope you find our slaves strong and healthy. Here, we try our best to get the finest kits available."

The three cats nodded, quietly whispering among themselves.

"Back there is Ember and Jade." Lightning continued. The two named cats nodded curtly. Then Lightning nodded towards the cages.

"Here are our new kittens." He mewed. "They are all in excellent condition."

The gray she-cat swished her tail and padded up to the cages. The two toms followed her, murmuring. They looked over the three kits anxiously.

"May we see this one?" The she-cat asked, flicking her tail at Shiver. The little she-cat huddled nervously in her cage, not wanting to be observed by the three strange cats. Jade opened the cage and grabbed Shiver by the scruff, and dropping her on the floor. Shiver had an uneasy feeling that these cats weren't near as nice as Ember and Sheek. Maybe even meaner than Shard! They all had scars across their muzzles. The she-cat even had one that crossed her eye, sealing it shut. So when she looked up at them she glared, sending an instant message that she didn't like them and she would not go with them willingly.

One of the toms glared back at her with dark golden eyes. She turned her head and stared directly at him. Her gaze pierced through him as if she were looking into his very soul. Her fur stood up along her spine and she hissed. Shiver noticed a smile twitch on Lightning's lips. The cat held her gaze for a moment before shuddering and looking away.

"I could never sleep with her around." He mewed. "She must be possessed or something!"

The other tom hardly agreed. "Nonsense! She's gorgeous!" He exclaimed. "I would take her as my mate any day! Look at her fur! It's such a nice, soft color. Silky too!"

The huge she-cat cut in rudely. "Well that wouldn't matter anyway!" She snapped. "We're not here looking for a mate for you! We're looking for a mate for Ginger! She's going to be at kitting age in five moons now! We're only looking at this kit for future references!"

The two toms quieted down and watched as their gray leader poked and prodded Shiver with long claws. She nodded quietly and motioned to Jade for Shiver to be put back. The dark tabby she-cat quickly obeyed, shoving Shiver, roughly, to the back of her cage. Then she flicked open Bristle's cage and pulled the heavy tom-kit out.

"Now there's a tom!" The gray she-cat purred. "Nice and muscular. Thick pelted too. He seems quiet which is always a good thing. I can't stand noisy kits." She turned to Sheek. "We'll take this one."

Sheek nodded happily. "Good! We call him Bristle, but you may call him whatever you want!" He mewed. "That'll be twenty crow feathers and two rabbits."

One of the golden toms opened a sack he had been carrying and pulled out two rabbits. Lightning immediately picked the prey up and leapt up onto the book shelf, disappearing into a hole in the wall. Then the tom counted out twenty long, black crow feathers. Sheek pulled them up next to him in a neat pile and flicked his tail to Ember, who stood up and reached behind the cages. Ember pulled out a long rope with a loop at the end and padded over to Bristle, fastening the loop over the kit's head. Shiver watched in horror from behind the bars of her cage as her brother was hauled out of the room and out of her sight for forever. Suddenly, her thoughts darkened. She knew that as soon as she was released from the cage she would sprint down the hall and kill the cats that were trying to take her litter-mate away.

Lightning appeared out of the hole atop the bookcase and grinned at Shiver.

"May I punish her?" He mewed to Sheek, emphasizing the word "punish".

Sheek nodded. "Of course." He growled. "She hissed at a customer! Any cat that does that **must **be punished."

Lightning's eyes flashed evilly and he snickered softly. Shiver tensed her muscles as the skinny tom flicked the latch on her cage and the door swung open. She pushed off with her hind legs and flew quickly past Lightning, headed for the doorway. Lightning yowled in alarm and sprinted after her. All of a sudden a huge black shape knocked into Shiver, sending her tumbling back towards Lightning. Her head pounded and blood trickled off her ear. Sheek stalked up in front of her and Lightning stood behind her.

"Never try that again." Sheek snarled. "Or I'll swing my paw harder."

Shiver stumbled to her paws and managed to snarl back at Sheek. "I will get my brother back." Her voice was soft, high pitched, and barely audible over the wind that blew outside. "You can't take him away from me. I will find him, and we will return. And we will fight you together."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Shiver had never spoken before, and the first words she spoke were of revenge and love at the same time. Then Sheek's voice sounded, starting softly, but slowly rising to a yowl.

"No one, defies me, you twisted little brat!!!" His yowls echoed though the room. He bent his face close to Shiver's. "Especially a worthless little kit!"

Then he hit her. Shiver had never been so terrified in her life. His long claws had been kneading the carpet, and now they swung at her face, clawing deep into her cheek. She shrieked and staggered back. Razor whimpered fearfully and hid in the shadows of his cage. Shiver bumped into Lightning and fell flat on her face, blood dripping in her eyes. Lightning snickered and picked the kit up by the scruff. She blinked the blood out of her eyes, her vision blurring with the red liquid. Sheek wasn't done yet. He dug his claws into Shiver's unprotected stomach. Pain shot through her and she screamed. The burning sensation increased as Sheek tore her soft, pink skin. Everything around her whirled and seemed to collapse. Lightning let go of her and let her fall to the floor, her blood pooling around her and darkness creeping at the edges of her vision.

"Never defy me." Sheek snarled in her ear, her own blood staining his fur. "Unless you want to die."

That was the last thing she heard before the whole world faded to black and she fell into a bottomless pit of night.

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**O.O OH NOES!!!! WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO POOR LITTLE SHIVER?!?!?! *glares at Sheek* MEANY!!!! *slaps him in the face***


	5. Chapter 3

**I can't believe it!!!! Thank you all you guys for favoriting me!!!!!!! I'm amazed at how many of you there actually were! Also, thanks to those who sent in reviews!!!! I LUV ALL YOU PEEPS!!! I'm so pumped now!!! WOOT!!! WOOT!!! xD Everybody should enjoy this chappie! It is goin ta be intarestin... Just remember that Shiver doesn't remember what it's like outside. So she doesn't know what a tree is, or what grass looks like. She has no idea what anything is. So yeah. Enjoy!  
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Chapter 3

Sharp pain laced up her stomach, causing her to bare her teeth and gasp. Storm gently brushed her tail along Shiver's flank, trying to comfort her. Razor watched in silence, his eyes wide with horror. The tiny silver kit blinked her eyes open and stared up at her mother, who smiled down at her kindly. Storm looked worn and tired, her fur was knotted and blood stained. Shiver whimpered and pressed her muzzle into Storm's soft belly fur.

"Don't worry." The gentle queen mewed. "You're going to get better. Just promise me you won't talk to any of these cats like that again."

Shiver stared up at her dark gray eyes and nodded. "I promise. But I still meant what I said. I will find Bristle and we will fight Sheek."

Storm's eyes gleamed sadly. "Such a brave little kit." She sighed. "You would have made a wonderful warrior..."

Before Shiver could ask Storm what a warrior was, a shadow fell across the cage and Shiver looked up. Ember was frowning down at her. The fluffy tom turned to Storm.

"It's time for Razor's hunting lesson." He mewed gruffly. "Shiver will start hers tomorrow."

Storm didn't respond. She just looked away and nudged Razor towards the door. Razor's eyes grew wide and he scrambled backwards. Ember growled, annoyed. He flicked the cage open plucked Razor up by the scruff. The little tom squeaked as he was dropped to the hard floor. Ember snarled and shoved the kit towards the door, slamming the cage door shut with his tail.

Shiver watched as the two ginger toms padded slowly away. "Razor's coming back, isn't he?" She whimpered.

"Of course he is dear." Storm mewed, licking Shiver's head comfortingly. "Ember is going to teach him how to hunt. Jade is going to teach you tomorrow, when your stomach is feeling better."

Shiver rolled onto her back and looked down at her underbelly. Her eyes widened at the sight. Deep claw marks covered her soft flesh and blood was caked all over her belly so that she couldn't see any of her belly fur. She grimaced at the memory of Sheek's fury. Her blood. Razor's startled mews. Lightning's dark laugh and evil smirk. Her pelt prickled and she gently touched her paw to her cheek. There were deep ruts where Sheek's claws had ripped through her skin. She laid back down and curled up tightly, afraid to do anything else.

She sighed and tried to imagine what it would like to be free. To not be stuck in a cage all day. She pictured her and Razor dancing in the sunlight, the gentle rays gleaming in their eyes. She imagined what else was outside, for she had never been outside of the house. She thought up endless space and the mice that she had seen Sheek eating. She created the creature that owned the crow feathers that Sheek had traded Bristle for, the moss that the other cats made their nests out of, and the birds that nested in the rafters. These thoughts slowly lulled her into a dreamy world of fresh night air and endless sky.

-----Shiver's Dream-----

_The whole world slowly focused itself around her. Everything became clear and beautiful. Shiver glanced around nervously. Tall, rough brown objects surrounded her, reaching to the sky with many long tails covered in rounded green scales that shimmered in the soft moonlight. A feathery green carpet covered the damp ground beneath her paws._

_'Is this what it's like outside?' She wondered, sniffing the cold, starry air._

_Stars twinkled above her and she padded around, poking her nose around the green-scaled things. As she peered around a particularly large one, she noticed a path, stretching out behind it. She stepped onto it. It reminded her of the hallway in the house, the way it went straight and was uninterrupted by any other objects. She sniffed it cautiously. Instead of being covered in a soft green carpet, it was dusty and brown. Stepping softly, she padded along the trail, causing the dust to whirl up in clouds around her, sparkling in the moonlight._

_The silence was suddenly startled by something rustling up ahead. Shiver stopped in her tracks, staring fearfully at the path in front of her. The noise repeated. She wanted to turn and flee, but something was beckoning her forward... towards the terrifying unknown. She padded, hesitantly forward until she was at the end of the dusty path. Thick, entwining prickles arched in front of her. Only a small space was left at the bottom; a space just big enough for her to squeeze through. Her ears laid back in fear, she pressed herself low to the dusty path and dug her claws in for a grip. Then, paws scrabbling against the ground, she pushed her way under. The small thorns tugged at her pelt, pulling some of her silky fur out._

_When she emerged into the clearing her breath suddenly left her. There seemed to be stars in the air, shimmering and hovering above the ground. They slowly gathered into one huge cloud of sparkling beauty. Suddenly, the stars pulsed inward and there was a bright flash of white light. Shiver quickly turned her head away from the blinding rays, cringing. When the light was gone, she slowly turned back. Instead of a mass of stars, there was a beautiful gray tabby she-cat, her pelt shimmering with starlight, and her icy blue eyes glowing like the moon._

_"W-who are you?!" Shiver managed to stutter._

_The white she-cat smiled. "Hello young kit." She mewed. "My name is Larkfeather."_

_Shiver stood in silence, staring at the starry young cat's beauty._

_"Shiver," Larkfeather meowed, "do you recognize me?"_

_Shiver shook her head in wonder._

_The strange she-cat stepped to the side and swished her tail delicately out beside her, revealing a glassy pool of water that glowed with moonlight. "Maybe looking into here will help."_

_Shiver padded slowly up to the pool and glanced down. She blinked in surprise. All of her scars from Sheek's horrible claws were gone... But even more surprising was seeing her own eyes. Pale, and icy, they were beautiful, but chilling. As she looked back up at Larkfeather, she realized something that had been slightly obscured. She had Larkfeather's eyes. It wasn't very noticeable because of the radiant glow of moonlight, but sure enough, they were the same pale icy color._

_Larkfeather smiled softly. A loving, warm smile. "Hello my kit." She purred._

_Shiver was overwhelmed. Larkfeather was her mother?_

_"B-but..." She sputtered, utterly confused._

_"Storm is Razor's mother, but not yours." Larkfeather told her gently. "You were stolen at birth, along with Bristle, Razor, and Stormspirit. That is her real name. A clan name. She was a warrior."_

_Shiver's eyes went wide. Her mind flashed back to when Storm had told her that she would have made a great warrior. "A warrior..." She whispered, loving the feel of it in her mouth. "What is a warrior?"_

_Larkfeather chuckled softly. Even her voice was like moonlight, gentle and flowing. "You have much to learn, my darling. For now, I will tell you what you must know." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "First of all, I want you to know that you will not have to live with this forever. It can change. You can change it. I also want you to know that I was... killed... when a band of rouges invaded camp. But the thing I really want you to know is that I love you. I always will. You will always be my kit."_

_Then Larkfeather rested her head on top of Shiver's and gently licked her ear._

_"I will always be there for you, no matter what."_

_Then, the beautiful she-cat began to fade, the stars blinking out into darkness._

_"Wait!" Shiver cried frantically. "Don't go! I want to go with you!"_

_Right before Larkfeather disappeared, she mewed one last thing. "Be strong, and they will never break you."_

_The last of the starry she-cat's image faded and Shiver sat in silence._

_"I love you too." She whispered._

_Then darkness slammed down on her and her beautiful dream world was gone._

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**YAY!!!!!! I LOVED THAT!!!!!! THAT WAS AMAZINGLY FUN TO WRITE!!!!!!!! -sigh- I hope you all liked it! OH! And before you go... be sure to R&R! -winks-**

**~Flamesong**


	6. Chapter 4

**Yay!!!!! i iz so excited right now for no particular reason!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OUI! OUI! BTW! ALL YOU PEEPS ARE AWESOME!!! I'M SO AMAZED AT HOW MANY FAVES I GOT!!! deep breaths Flamesong... deep breaths... -sigh- I iz better now. ALSO! I am very extremely sorry for taking so long to write this... Now... for the story...  
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**Chapter 4**

Shiver squeaked and her eyes flew open. She glanced around. Everything was quiet. Sunlight poured into the room, shining on the cages. Storm, wait, no, Storm_spirit _was curled up neatly beside her with her tail wrapped delicately around her and Razor. They were both sound asleep. Everything seemed so different to Shiver now. Her mother was a beautiful cat named Larkfeather. She had no idea who her father was and Razor wasn't her brother. She rolled over and stared at the criss-crossed shadows from the cage door.

She slowly stood, surprised when the sting she suspected didn't appear. She lifted a paw and peered at her stomach. There wasn't a single scratch there. Her eyes widened. Her mother had actually taken away all of her wounds. She slowly brushed her tail against her face. It took her a moment to realize that the deep cuts that had been on her face were completely gone. Not even a scar was there. A soft smile lit on her lips and she whispered a prayer of thanks to Larkfeather.

Paw steps sounded in the hallway and Shiver perked her ears, carefully scenting the approaching cat. The scent was sharp and distinct. Jade. The floor boards creeked and the huge she-cat peered into the room. Her dark green eyes blinked at Shiver without any emotion.

"Hunting time." The she-cat grunted and flicked the cage door open. Shiver just stood, staring at Jade, hoping to give her a sense of how she felt about her. Jade just rolled her eyes and turned away. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back to face Shiver.

"Wait a minute..." She growled. "I thought Sheek gave you a few swipes yesterday..."

"He did." Shiver mewed flatly, still glaring.

"Then how..." Jade looked a little alarmed.

"None of your beeswax!" Shiver snapped, jumping out of the cage and trotting towards the door. Jade stayed where she was for another moment before shaking her head, closing the cage, and padding quickly after Shiver. Unbeknown to Jade, behind Shivers act of hate and resentment, she was really bubbling with excitement. This would be her first time to go outside! She quickened her pace as they went down the long hallway.

"Slow down already!" Jade hissed.

Shiver snapped her head around and growled irritably. "You should try speeding up, you prickly old hedgehog!"

Jade growled but made no attempt to stop the determined kit. When they finally reached the door, Shiver was ecstatic, but she carefully hid her glee with a dark, icy glare.

She stuck her nose outside and breathed in. It didn't smell anything like the starry night she had experienced in her dream. It was a damp and thick scent that felt hot in her nose.

"Yuck!" She exclaimed. "What kind of gross smell is that!?"

Jade rolled her eyes. "The swamp, you little mouse-brain. The winds blowing across it today."

Shiver nudged the door open with her nose and padded outside. It took great effort to suppress her excitement. There was a dusty trail, like the one in her dream, that wound out in front of the house. But instead of being surrounded by tall objects with green scaled tails, the land stretched out before her like a huge golden blanket. It bent up and down, as if there was something beneath the ground, causing lumps everywhere. Most of it was covered in a thick golden carpet of stiff, dried grass like the grass that the birds used to build their nests. Shiver bounded down to the dusty path and looked around some more.

Off to one side, in the distance, was a small area covered in greenish water. She sniffed the breeze that blew from that direction.

_That must be the swamp. _She thought. _Yuck! It sure does smell!_

She wrinkled up her nose and turned the other way. A little further away than the swamp had been was a huge cluster of the creatures with green scales.

"What is that?" She asked curiously, trying to pick up a scent from the unfamiliar land.

"Just a forest!" Jade snapped, seeming a little on edge.

"What's your problem?" Shiver hissed. "All I did was ask what it was!"

"Well it doesn't matter, so you don't need to know about it!" Jade growled, her fur fluffed out.

Shiver rolled her eyes. "Come on! Just teach me how to hunt already!"

Jade narrowed her eyes and stalked up to the little silver kit. "Now listen here, you feather-brained kit! You're lucky Sheek and Lightning aren't here. Because, if they were, I would be able to get permission from them to take you to the Blood Tree. And that's not an experience you want. Understand?"

Shiver's eyes widened and she nodded. She could remember once when Lightning took Storm to the Blood Tree for punishment. When her adopted mother had returned she was barely standing and was covered with deep wounds. Her fur was so clotted with blood that it looked red instead of gray.

Jade nodded, satisfied and padded away, flicking her tail. Shiver slowly followed, glancing back at the forest. It seemed so peaceful and inviting.

_When I finally escape, _she thought, _that's where I'm going to go._

Then she raced after Jade, down the path. The powerful dark tabby quickly led her through the tall grasses until they reached a tiny stream that trickled gently across the dry ground. She lapped gently at the water. It was cold and fresh and sent a bolt of energy through her body. She grinned and turned to Jade.

"Are we going to hunt now?" She mewed eagerly.

Jade snorted. "Kit, you are way to happy. You know that as soon as you learn how to hunt, you're going to be hunting for all of us for the rest of your puny little life?"

Shiver completely ignored Jade's warning and trotted off into the grass and away from the path. Jade grumbled and padded after her. Shiver stopped and turned around, waiting for instruction.

"Sniff." Jade grunted, flicking her whiskers.

Shiver lifted her nose and breathed in the cold air. She could smell the swamp, grass, and a smell she couldn't identify.

"What's that yummy smell?" Shiver asked, trying to figure out where the delicious scent was coming from.

"That would be prey." Jade mewed, grinning. "And it's close. Now watch carefully."

The she-cat suddenly crouched down, pressing herself close to the ground and swishing her tail back and forth for balance. She carefully crept forward and narrowed her eyes. Shiver watched, her eyes widening as she saw a fuzzy creature with long ears nibbling on the dry grass. Jade slunk up behind it. Suddenly, the creature spotted her and leaped away as quickly as it could. Jade was faster. She flung out a paw and sunk her claws into the creature, dragging it back towards her. It struggled under her grip. Then Jade took it's neck in her jaws and bit down. Shiver heard the creature snap and it lay limp in Jade's grasp. Jade padded back to Shiver and dropped the bundle of fur at her paws.

"This," She mewed, "is a rabbit. You catch them, we eat them."

Shiver looked at the rabbit and sniffed it's fur carefully. Dark bloody patches of blood stained the creature's fur. It smelled strangely wonderful. Shiver gave the blood a testing lick. It was warm and salty. She looked up at Jade, eager to try catching a rabbit herself.

"Try to scent another one." The huge she-cat mewed, nodding.

Shiver lifted her muzzle and delicately sniffed the air. She breathed steadily for a little while before picking up a warm, tasty scent. Her eyes lit up and she padded softly forward until the scent was relatively close. Then she crouched down and crept forward, her long silver tail brushing the ground behind her. A smaller fuzzy creature came into view and she stalked slowly forward, confused that it didn't look at all like the rabbit that Jade had caught. Somehow, the little creature noticed her and darted into the grass before Shiver could even move. She stood up, her tail drooping.

"Why couldn't I catch it?" She asked, confused. "I did it just like you!"

Jade nodded. "That was a mouse." She explained. "They can feel your paw steps through the ground. You have to walk lighter than when you're stalking a rabbit."

Shiver slowly nodded. "I think I get it now. Can I try again?"

"Go ahead." Jade mewed.

Shiver perked back up and breathed in the scents surrounding her once more. She quickly picked one up and followed it quickly through the huge field. She finally emerged into a small grass-less patch of ground. A huge black bird sat in the middle, pecking at the dry ground. The creature was almost as big as her. Shiver's eyes widened nervously, but she was willing to try. She moved quickly across the ground, keeping low and stepping lightly, trying to combine the rabbit and mouse stalks. She thought she would have a better chance of catching it that way. The bird paid no attention to her. She bunched her hind leg muscles and launched herself at the bird. It squawked in alarm and tried desperately to fly away. But Shiver landed on it's back and bit it's neck until she heard a sharp crack. Then she let go and the bird flopped to the ground, limp. Jade padded up to her, nodding in approval.

"Good!" She mewed. "You learn quickly. One more lesson and you'll be ready to hunt for us."

Shiver beamed. Even though she was a slave to this cat, the praise washed over her and made her happier.

"That will be all for today though." Jade grunted. "Let's go."

Shiver grabbed her bird and dragged it carefully back to the path, following Jade, her head held high with pride.

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**Yay for Shiver!!! She learned how to hunt!!!! Again, I apologize for the long wait. Maybe I could update faster if I got more.... R&Rs!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	7. Chapter 5

**Hey you guys! Again, I am sorry for the wait, but I got NO reviews. And that wasn't exactly motivating... Plus I accidentally forgot to save it and it the first time I wrote it so I had to RE-write it. AND IT WAS NOT FUN. Anyway, enjoy the chappie!**

**OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! I FEEL REEEEEEEALLY BAD!!! I HAVEN'T PUT A DISCLAIMER UP ANYWHERE!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors... So if ya wanna borrow it, you'll have to Erin Hunter...**

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**Chapter 5**

Shiver glared wearily after Lightning as he padded out of the room. It had been two moons since her second hunting lesson with Jade. She was now hunting full time for her masters. She had been extremely tired for the past few days because the masters barely gave her enough fresh-kill for energy. Lightning had left her a mouse, but her appetite had deserted her. She sat down and sighed. She hadn't talked to Larkfeather in a long time and missed her mother dreadfully. She laid down, trying to sleep to see if she could get her mother to come to her in a dream.

She was now five moons old, according to Stormspirit. She glanced around the cage, wishing that her adopted mother was there. She and Razor had been moved into a separate cage because Stormspirit's belly was swollen with kits. The kits were due any day now and Sheek wanted there to be room enough in the cage for all of the kits. He also wanted Shiver and Razor to get use to being without their mother. Well, Razor's mother anyway. Shiver rolled over and stared at her reflection in the shiny metal top of the cage. Her eyes were duller than usual and her fur was less than well-groomed. She sighed and sat up to clean herself.

Razor lifted his head from across the cage and yawned. "You gonna eat that?" He asked lazily, staring at the mouse.

"I dunno..." Shiver mumbled between licks.

Razor sat up and glared at her, his eyes worried. "What's wrong with you Shiver? You don't eat much, you mutter in your sleep, you don't keep your pelt groomed, and I haven't seen your 'ice-stare' in... forever!"

Shiver bit at a knot of fur in her tail, not knowing whether to tell Razor about Larkfeather or not. "Nothing." She muttered.

Suddenly her adopted brother was in front of her, scowling. "No! There's something wrong! I'm your brother! You should be able to tell me!"

"You're not my brother." Shiver meowed softly. "Neither was Bristle. He wasn't related to either of us."

"But..." Razor mewed, thoroughly confused. "If you aren't my brother... Who is your mom?"

"Larkfeather." Shiver mewed wearily. "She was a warrior in Riverclan, just like your mom, Stormspirit, was before she was stolen along with us."

"What's Riverclan?" Razor asked slowly. "And what's a warrior?"

Shiver sighed. "Riverclan is a group of cats that lives in a forest and knows how to catch fish and swim. There's other groups of cats that live around them called Thunderclan, Windclan, and Shadowclan. A warrior is a cat living in one of those clans that provides for those in the clan that cannot provide for themselves and protects it. Larkfeather told me in a dream a while back."

Razor looked at his paws, eyes flickering back and forth, putting the pieces together in his mind. "Then that means... We aren't really suppose to be slaves... we're suppose to be free..." His eyes suddenly lit up in triumph. "And that means that... Shard isn't really my dad!"

Shiver smiled weakly, nodding. "Larkfeather told me that it wouldn't always be this way and that I would escape, but I just can't see when this is all going to change..."

There was a long pause of silence. Razor gently padded over to her and pressed his flank against hers. "Don't worry." He mewed. "We'll get through it."

"Since when were you the brave one?" Shiver chuckled. "You used to be so afraid of everything!"

"Hey!" Razor mewed indignantly, swiping a paw over Shiver's ear. "I was only two moons old!"

"That doesn't mean your a better fighter!" Shiver purred, pouncing on his back and battering his head with her front paws.

Razor growled playfully and shook his pelt, throwing her off. Shiver landed gracefully back on her paws and immediately leaped back at Razor, knocking him over. She pinned him down and thudded her paws firmly against his chest.

"Alright, alright!" He giggled, gasping for air beneath her weight. "I give up!"

Shiver squirmed off of him and licked down the fur on her chest. Then she carefully pulled a damp paw over her ears. Razor stood up and shook his pelt out.

"Now there's the Shiver I know!" He laughed.

She shook her head, secretly feeling the chilling edge seep back into her eyes. Her ears pricked and she looked up as the floor boards in the hallway squeaked. Sheek padded through the doorway followed by Shard and Jade.

"Bring her out." Sheek mewed gruffly, his ears twitching slightly in the direction of Razor and Shiver's cage.

Shiver felt her heart lurch, wondering if Sheek hadn't liked the prey she had caught this morning and was going to punish her. She let her breath out in relief as Shard padded towards a different cage. He clicked it open and leaped inside. He soon reappeared, nudging a very plump Storm out onto the floor. Stormspirit laid down on her side, panting. Jade stepped forward and pressed her ear to Storm's swollen belly. She nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. Then she gently prodded it with two paws. She nodded again and turned to face Sheek.

"Four kits." She mewed confidently. "They all have strong hearts."

Sheek nodded in approval. "Good." Then he turned to Shard. "Get one of the two kits to hunt for her. She needs strength. And Jade, have one get some water."

Shiver quickly grabbed the mouse that was sitting in the back of the cage and gulped down several bites. She wanted to have enough energy to care for her adopted mother. Shard flicked open the door and motioned to Shiver. She shoved the rest of the mouse over to Razor who twitched his whiskers in thanks and snarfed down a few bites. Shiver turned back to Shard and narrowed her eyes, channeling all of her hatred for him through her gaze.

"Listen here, you mouse-brained little kit!" He snarled. "If you keep that up, you're going to get a mouth full of claws!"

They stood nose to nose, Shiver's eyes glowing eerily and Shard's neck fur bristling.

"I hope I'm there to see you die." She mewed. Then she stalked towards the door, head high, tail flicking. She turned back, hissing to a shocked Shard. "Hurry up!" She caught Razor's eye as he climbed through the cage door to follow Jade. He grinned at her.

_That's my sister._ He mouthed.

Shiver's eyes flashed happily for a moment and then returned to their chilling glare. She and Razor would always be brother and sister, no matter if they were related or not.

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**Yayz!!!! I kinda liked that chapter... not really sure why... I really wanted to get Razor in there more, so that was kinda the whole point of this chappie...**

**NOTE!!! Stormspirit is going to have little kittens!!! yay!!! -claps- If you would like your cat to be in the story, please send me your cat's name and description in a review. They will come into the story as little kittens!!! I am only accepting one cat per person. And while you're at it, please tell me what you think!!!!**

**~Flamesong  
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	8. Allegiances 2

**Hey guys!!! Thanks for all those reviews and kitten submissions!!! Here are the new allegiances with the kits in them as well as Larkfeather! Also, I kind of reworded some of your guys' descriptions. Hope that's okay! The next chappie will be up soon!**

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Allegiances

Sheek- slick tortie tom with long, sharp claws and an oily pelt; as well as extremely dark amber eyes, almost brown

Lightning- gaunt, but strong smoky black tabby tom with pale amber eyes

Shard- pure white tom with dark blue eyes and long, slick fur

Ember- fluffy, dark ginger tom with golden eyes and a white chest

Jade- elegant dark, chocolate brown she-cat with dark green eyes

Storm (Stormspirit)- pretty dark gray she-cat with blue-gray eyes

Shiver- graceful pale silver and white she-cat with pale, ice blue eyes

Razor- rusty ginger tom with bright amber eyes

Bristle- thick-furred black tom with yellow eyes

Stormy- sleek, black she-cat with dark indigo eyes

Smoke- dark gray she-cat with a white underbelly and dark ginger paws and tail tip; green eyes

Night- pure black she-cat with dark amber eyes

Hawk- white tom with bright amber eyes

Larkfeather- captivating gray tabby she-cat, slightly dappled with white; icy blue eyes

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**Thanks again you guys for the submissions! They're all great!!! BTW, I made a mistake... evidently you guys DID review last chapter... idk why I didn't see them... maybe the automatic message sender was broken or something and it didn't notify me to say that i got reviews... oh well!**


	9. Chapter 6

**Hey! I actually got this up quicker than I thought I would! Awesomeness!!! Enjoy the chappie!!!**

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Chapter 6

Shiver dragged the pheasant quickly towards the house. Shard followed her, hissing when she slowed down. The bird she had caught was heavy and her muscles screamed in pain. She had been hunting nonstop since sunhigh. Now the sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon. She was proud of her catch, but the pain in her legs seemed to blot it all out. Since Razor was busy running back and forth from the swamp with Jade, gathering water and strange smelling plants, she had to do the hunting all by herself. Shard had barely let her stop to get a drink and she hadn't eaten anything except for those few bites of mouse all day long. She suddenly felt her legs buckle and she toppled over.

"Get up!" Shard snarled, slashing his claws across her shoulder.

Shiver flinched but didn't move. Instead she closed her eyes, panting.

_Help me Larkfeather._ She prayed silently.

"I said, GET UP!" Shard hissed. Then he grabbed her tail-tip in his jaws and pulled her up into the air, a sickening crack coming from the end of her tail.

Shiver screeched in pain and tried desperately to catch Shard with her claws. Her paws only swung at empty air and Shard hurled her at the ground. She gasped as the impact left her breathless. Pain danced like fire on her tail. She knew without even looking that it was broken.

Shard stalked over to her and growled in her ear. "Would you like to experience that again?"

Shiver shook her head weakly and struggled to her paws, the wound on her shoulder stinging relentlessly. When she had finally gotten her breath back, she grabbed the pheasant's tail again and staggered towards the old house. When they finally reached the door, she pulled the pheasant down the hall, passing the caging room, and approaching Sheek's huge lair. Shard pushed her out of the way and she stumbled to the side. He scratched loudly at the cracked-open door.

"Come in." Came the gruff answer.

Shard nosed the door open and Shiver wearily followed him. She glanced around at the old, broken furniture in the room that looked incredibly comfortable to her exhausted eyes. Sheek's dark glare glowed slightly at the top of the book shelf and he leaped down to the floor, glaring at Shiver's wounds.

"What did she do?" Lighting growled, coming to stand beside Sheek, grinning eagerly.

Shiver guessed he was hoping to take her to the Blood Tree. Sheek nodded to Shard.

"Yes," he mewed, "how did she disobey?"

"She fell down, and didn't get up when I told her to." Shard meowed, snarling the last part.

Lightning sniffed in disappointment. It wasn't bad enough to take her to the Blood Tree. Sheek only nodded and turned to the pheasant.

"At least she got some decent prey." He mewed gruffly. Then he turned back to Shiver. "As a reward, we'll have Jade treat your shoulder wound and put a splint on your tail."

Shiver dipped her head. "Thank you master." She mewed, hating the way the words rolled innocently off her tongue.

Sheek turned back to Lightning. "Get her back in her cage and give her the scraps. And Shard, you stay here. I want to discuss Storm's future with you."

Shard twitched his whiskers. Lightning turned and grabbed several pieces of prey that were half-eaten. Then he whisked around and nudged Shiver through the door. She blinked, pain still searing through her body. She turned into the caging room and wove in between all the empty, lined up cages to her own cage. Lightning flicked open the latch with a few skillful flicks of his tail. Shiver slipped into the cage and collapsed on the cold metal floor. Lightning dropped the disgusting, half-eaten prey in the cage and nosed the door shut again. Shiver managed to squirm over to the prey and select a crow that still had a decent amount of meat clinging to its bones.

_They don't even eat all that we catch for them, yet they want more all the time! _She thought angrily.

Then she took a hesitant bite, gagging at the horrible taste of the slightly rotting prey. She managed to get it down, but immediately wretched it back up afterward. She lay, exhausted, barely able to move. Her tail felt as if it would fall off at any moment and her shoulder was starting to swell.

_I hope that prey keeps Storm healthy, at least. _She thought. _And I hope that pheasant was sick and kills all of **them.**_

Suddenly, the cage creaked and a weary Razor staggered in. Shiver cracked her eyes open and smiled weakly. Razor's eyes flew open at the sight of Shiver.

"What did they do to you?!" He yowled furiously.

Jade's head suddenly appeared in Shiver's limited vision. The dark tabby's eyes flashed with worry for a heartbeat, but quickly disappeared.

"Get out of the way!" She growled to Razor, who moved quickly aside, his bright amber eyes shining in fear for his adopted sister.

Jade inspected Shiver's shoulder rolling her eyes.

"Mouse-brained Shard!" Jade snarled in spite. "He should have known that a cut this deep would get infected if he got dirt in it! He didn't even clean it!" She quickly flicked her tail to Razor. "Lick." She ordered.

Razor nodded hurriedly and bent to lick Shiver's wound. She would have hissed in pain if she had the strength, but she didn't, so she just laid there, letting the burning sensation throb through her body. Jade quickly moved to Shiver's tail, shaking her head. She narrowed her eyes and gently inspected the broken tail bone.

"I'll be back." She mewed grimly, jumping out of the cage and swinging the door shut.

"It's not like we're going anywhere!" Razor grumbled after she disappeared. He went back to licking until he had all of the dust cleaned from her wound. Then he carefully cleaned the clumps of mud dried to her once-white pelt. Jade quickly returned, her mouth full of supplies. She set them down and clicked the door open. She set the materials down and nosed through the pile.

"Go get some moss from Storm's cage." She growled to Razor.

Razor nodded and leaped out of the cage. He appeared a moment later with a wad of soaking moss in his jaws. He struggled up into the cage and gently pressed the moss to Shiver's muzzle. Shiver blinked in thanks and strained to suck the water out of the spongy moss. Jade swept her paw in the back of the cage and gathered a paw full of cobwebs and gently pressed them onto Shiver's shoulder. Then she carefully moved to her tail, placing a strong stick up against the broken part. She then nodded to Razor who gently grasped Shiver's tail in his jaws, lifting it slightly. Pain coursed through Shiver's back half and she let out a small moan. Jade deftly wrapped cobweb around the stick and her tail, making a splint. Then Razor set her tail back down. Jade nodded in satisfaction.

"You'll feel better tomorrow." She promised. Then she left the cage and clicked the door shut.

Razor laid down beside her, pressing his flank to hers. His tongue rasped gently over her ear. The smell of her vomit filled her nose and she coughed weakly.

"Sh..." Razor murmured. "Sleep..."

Shiver closed her eyes and let the horrible reality of her life drain away with the steady rhythm of Razor's soft licking and the feeling of his chest rumbling with a purr against her side.

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**POOR SHIVER!!!! :( Don't worry though! She'll get better! And that's not even the worst torture she's gonna get!!! Oh, and Storm's kittens haven't actually been born yet. They will be soon though! Don't forget to R&R!!!  
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**~Flamesong  
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	10. Chapter 7

**Hey guys... hm... well... long time no see... *blushes* Sorry I haven't updated in like... 3 or 4 months... School has gotten really busy. Homework load is getting bigger and the points for each assignment are getting HUGE. I've had to go to a lot of meetings about next year and what I'm going to do for math... Ends up I'm going to take geometry over the summer so that I can take Algebra 2 next year. Not fun. Well, I had to go back and re-read half of my story so I could remember what was happening... XD Lol, well, I hope you like this long-awaited chapter...**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own warriors. I want to, but I do not. If I owned warriors, Crowfeather would not have turned into a lousy piece of mouse dung and he would still love Leafpool, even though he can't have her as his mate.  
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Chapter 7

Shiver awoke to a loud screech. "The kits are coming!!!"

Faster than lightning, the room turned chaotic. Jade had been sleeping by Storm's cage so that she could be ready when the kits came. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to get the herbs the night before.

"Fox dung!" Jade hissed as she realized she would have to run all the way outside to her store. "Razor! Come with me!" Jade clicked the cage open, not even bothering to shut it after Razor bolted out after Jade, his rusty pelt a blur.

The thought to escape flashed through Shivers mind for an instant, but quickly disintegrated. _Mouse-brain. _She scoffed. _To think that you would be able to get away from Shard in this condition? Much less not be noticed by the zillions of cats swarming around here._

She slowly sat up, her shoulder stinging, but not nearly as bad as it had been. She grunted and stood up, looking herself over. Her pelt was an absolute disaster, though it could have been worse if it weren't for Razor. She smoothed down what she could reach without hurting herself. She sighed sadly as she looked at her tail. It was dotted here and there with blood and was impossible to clean underneath the cobwebs.

She could hear Stormspirit moaning from her cage. Shiver's silver-tinted ears twitched nervously. She bit her lip and padded slowly towards the entrance. She managed to slide down the slight drop-off and limp slowly over to Storm's cage. The cage door was shut.

_Fluff-heads! _She growled in her head. _Do they think she's actually going to try to go anywhere?!_

She huffed a sigh and began inspecting the lock. Her winter-sky eyes narrowed slightly as she lifted a paw, wincing as she put more weight on her wounded shoulder. She closed her eyes and remembered the movement that the masters always used. Up, right, down, right. She flicked a little piece of metal on the lock. Up... right... down... right... She chuckled slightly as the cage door swung open.

_Pfft! Bee-brained idiots! _She thought dryly. _What an easy lock to pick!_

Storm was groaning horribly inside, her swollen side heaving. Shiver limped in and gently began to lick Stormspirit's forehead that was damp from sweat. The dark gray queen smiled at her thankfully. Shiver's ears twitched as she heard Jade and Razor bound across the old, rotting boards in the hall. The two came, swiftly running into the room. Jade didn't even notice that Shiver had opened the cage.

"Go get Sheek, Lightning, and Shard." Jade mewed breathlessly to Shiver, seeing that she could stand.

Shiver nodded and limped quickly out of the room and down the hall. She nearly ran into Ember who hissed at her. "Sorry Master." She murmured, ducking her head as she hurried toward the center room.

She scratched the door frame as hard as she could. "Enter!" The call came from inside.

Shiver nosed the door open and entered. Lightning and Sheek were perched atop the couch, dark amber eyes glittering against their black pelts.

"Shiver?" Sheek mewed gruffly, slightly suspicious.

"Stormsp-" She cut herself off quickly, pretending to sputter from being out of breath. "Storm is having her kits."

Lightning bounded down onto the carpet, his thin frame making him look ghostly in the dim light. He glanced back at Sheek.

"You go fetch Shard." Sheek growled slightly. "Take Shiver with you."

Lightning nodded and shoved Shiver towards the door. "C'mon kit." He growled.

Shiver quickly limped out and fell in beside Lightning as they twisted through the old building. Shiver's head began to spin as they twisted and turned every which way. She quickly realized that she could get lost if she fell behind, so she carefully kept up with Lightning's fast pace, her shoulder aching in protest. At last, they arrived in a dark room with almost no light. Shiver's icy blue eyes shone brightly in the dark.

"Shard." Lightning mewed gruffly. "Get up, Storm's having your kits."

Shard's dark blue eyes appeared and he padded out of the room, grumbling. "It's not like I care."

Shiver felt a growl rise in her throat. She felt so sorry for the kits that were actually going to be his. Lightning must have felt the same way for he shook his head and rolled his amber eyes. Then the tom flicked his tail and they began padding swiftly back towards the cage room. By the time they arrived, Shiver was panting and her shoulder and tail felt as if they were on fire. She flopped down right next to the entrance, head spinning in pain and exhaustion. In the back of her mind she could hear Storm yowling and Jade frantically giving her herbs. After a while, the noise began to fade and Shiver felt herself fall into sweet sleep.

***_A While Later***_

Shiver groaned, her icy eyes sliding open. The sun's rays fell through the window, soothing her aching body. Suddenly, the pain jolted to her tail and she jumped up, yowling, eyes wide. She turned to see Shard standing there, a sneer spread across his face. She looked at her tail in disbelief. He had broken her slint.

"Get over here kit and meet your brother and sisters." He growled with a smirk.

Shiver glared up at him, filtering all her hate out through her startling icy eyes. "I hope you die the same way I've lived." She growled in her high-pitched, moonlight voice.

Shard snarled, fur raising along his spine as his claws dug into the old wooden floor. He swept around, spitting at Shiver, and stalked over to the group of cats gathered by Storm's cage. Shiver glared after him, wiping the spit off of her cheek. She followed him slowly, a growl edging in her throat.

Sheek watched her take her place next to Razor and waited for a moment to begin the meeting. "Storm's kits have now arrived and I would like to announce their names, as well as a couple of other things." His dark amber eyes swept over all of the cats. "We have decided that this kit will be called Stormy, after her mother." He flicked his tail at a pretty black she-cat with deep indigo eyes. "We will be getting a mate for her as soon as we can."

"This kit will be called Hawk." Sheek meowed gruffly, flicking a pure white tom with light amber eyes. "He is will mate with Storm when he is old enough."

Shiver's eyes flashed in disbelief. They were going to make Hawk mate with his own mother?!

Sheek continued without a pause. "This is Night, she will become Ember's mate." He nodded towards a jet black she-cat with brilliant amber eyes.

Ember grinned slightly at the helpless she-kit. Shiver gave the little kit a sympathetic blink. At least she didn't have to mate with Shard…

"And Smoke will be an ordinary slave for now." Sheek finished, pointing to a dark gray she-cat with a white underbelly, ginger paws and tail-tip, and green eyes. "Unless we decide otherwise."

Shiver stood up and shook out her pelt as best she coud, ready to retire to her cage.

"He's not done yet you disrespectful piece of fox dung!" Shard growled, slashing at Shiver's ear.

Luckily, Shiver still had enough of her wits about her to duck. She glared at him and sat back down.

Sheek snarled at her and continued with the meeting. "Razor, we are getting a new she-kit in later today… She will be your mate."

Razor blinked his amber eyes sadly, dipping his head in submission. Shiver felt a slight pang of sadness and hurt in her stomach.

"Shiver, we are going to get a few more kits tonight. You will help with that." Sheek mewed, standing. "The meeting is now over."

Then he turned and stalked out of the room, followed by Lightning. Shard gave one last spiteful glare at Shiver before leaving also. Ember inspected his future mate and then left after speaking quickly with Jade. Jade gave Storm a few herbs to help her milk and escorted Shiver and Razor back to their cage. The two climbed in and Jade locked the door behind them. Shiver and Razor sat silently, staring at the cage floor.

"I… I guess this is it…." Razor mewed quietly, his voice squeaking a little. "We'll be moved to different cages tonight…"

Shiver nodded. "Yeah…" She sighed sadly, feeling the pang of hurt in her stomach again.

"I'll miss you…" Razor murmured, shuffling his paw on the cold metal of the cage.

"Me too…" Shiver blinked, suddenly feeling as if something was missing in her chest.

Razor padded over to her and wrapped his tail around her flank. "We'll make it."

Shiver sighed, leaning against his slowly muscling shoulder and closing her brilliant eyes. Whatever was missing seemed to grow bigger. She could feel the hole inside of her cutting deeper and deeper inside of her. Was she just loosing her brother? Or was she loosing something more?

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***screams* OMG!!!!!!!!!! WHAT'S UP WITH SHIVER AND RAZOR?!?!?! OOOOOOOOOOO! *whistles* well, I'm going to go work on the next chappie now.... cuz i'm really excited for it..... *waddles away***

**P.S.: IF I EVER DUN UPDATE THIS STORY FOR THAT LONG AGAIN, PLEASE TOTALLY FLOOD MY INBOX. PLEASE.**

**~Flamesong  
**


	11. Chapter 8

**I AM SOOO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS CHAPPIE!!!! =3 I cannot wait. It's going to be epic. U GUYS ARE SOOO AWESOME. SUCH GREAT ADVICE AND COMMENTS! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! OH! Also, I forgot to put up a disclaimer for the owners of the kits in chapter 7. So I'll do that now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own warriors.**

**Stormy is owned by FallingSnow14**

**Night is owned by Meadowpaw**

**Hawk is owned by Spottedflames**

**Smoke is owned by Thebleachdiary**

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Chapter 8

Shiver crouched in the dry plains of grass, her glassy pale blue eyes reflecting the mouse she had in her sights. The golden grass around her crackled slightly as the wind tumbled over it, creating shining golden waves that flowed up and over the hills. She crept forward her steps slightly uneven from the wound on her shoulder. Her claws slowly sunk into the soft ground and her eyes remained steady and unblinking. She thought carefully about how she was going to do this with her tail and shoulder. She silently stepped forward, paws light against the dust.

Suddenly, a loud rustling came from up ahead. The mouse startled and skittered away.

"Mouse dung..." Shiver cursed under her breath, straightening up, glaring at the grass ahead.

The golden plants trembled and parted to reveal a huge black tom and a smaller gray tabby she-cat. The tom held a rope in his jaws that was looped tightly around a she-kit's neck. The two cats noticed her and the huge tom growled slightly. The gray tabby leaned up and whispered something in the tom's ear. The black tom nodded and turned to Shiver.

"Take us to your master, slave." He mewed at her in a disgusted voice.

Shiver looked up at him with her vivid icy eyes, glaring only slightly. Then she turned and trotted quickly away, limping slightly. She heard the two cats muttering to each other darkly. The she-kit stumbled along behind them, her head bowed silently. Shiver led them up to the mansion, the steps creaking under her weight. She padded quickly down the hallway and scratched on the door to Sheek's room.

After a few whispers, Shiver heard Sheek call darkly. "Come in."

Shiver padded in and stood by the door and dipped her head. "Visitors are here Master."

Sheek looked slightly surprised, but quickly composed himself with the twitch of an ear. "Welcome!" He smiled. "We certainly didn't expect you here this early. If we had known you were coming sooner, I would have sent Lightning out to greet you."

The tom nodded. "Doesn't matter. Would you like to take a look at Lily now?"

Sheek nodded and whispered something to Lightning who slipped quickly out of the room. Sheek bounded down from the clawed-up sofa, sending a poof of dust up from the cushions. The gray tabby she-cat shoved the skinny little she-kit forward roughly. Lily stumbled slightly and sat quietly, staring at the ground. The she-kit was actually bigger than Shiver, but she seemed so small because of Sheek towering over her. Sheek put a claw under her chin and drew her face up to look at him. He quickly looked her over and nodded satisfactorily.

"She's in great condition..." He announced. "We'll go ahead and take her. What is the payment you ask for?"

"A rabbit, three bramble strips, and ten ferns." The tom listed off the items.

Sheek nodded stiffly and leapt up onto his book case. "I will return in a moment." He mewed before vanishing into the hole in the wall.

Not a moment after Sheek left, the smaller she-cat whispered something to the tom.

He padded quickly over to Shiver and glared at her. "Get up kit." He growled roughly.

Shiver narrowed her eyes and hissed. "I don't have to obey you. You're not my master."

The gray tabby stalked over, glaring at her with glittering yellow eyes. She grabbed Shiver's tail, grinning evilly and tugged it up. Shiver gasped in pain as she was yanked to her feet by her broken tail. She didn't utter a word, but stared straight into the black tom's eyes. The tom smirked and looked straight into her icy eyes. Shiver narrowed her eyes and let all her emotion run into her gaze, an overwhelming message of hate and spite. The tom blinked in surprise.

"Hm... feisty...." He grinned thoughtfully. He began poking and prodding her, inspecting her teeth and claws. "But submissive..." He smirked, stepping back.

Shiver felt insulted. "Only temporarily." She mewed calmly, her voice surprisingly high-pitched and icy.

The small she-cat raised a brow. "You still like her?" She asked.

The tom nodded. "She is a fine cat... She would make an excellent mate."

Shiver felt a knot form in her stomach. Would Sheek sell her to these awful cats? She would much rather live having to put up with Shard than not knowing what was happening to Razor and Stormspirit. Sheek emerged from his den with a sack in his jaws.

"How much you ask for this slave, here?" The tom mewed without hesitating.

Sheek blinked and shook his head. "She is not for sale. We have other plans for her." He mewed sternly.

The black tom narrowed his eyes and nodded. "You sure? I would give quite a few willow branches for her..."

Sheek shook his head quickly. "She is not meant for selling. We have purposes for her." He growled slightly.

The tom shook his head. "Alright, but if you start to think differently, you know where to find me."

Sheek nodded and bounded down and giving the sack to the she-cat who nodded in thanks.

"Pleasant travels." Sheek mewed gruffly, dipping his head.

The tom nodded. "I hope to do business with you again soon."

The two cats padded out, leaving the room silent. Sheek stared at Shiver for a moment, then shook his head and bounded up onto the back of the couch, digging his long claws into the fabric, tearing the stuffing. Lily sat silently, huddled in the center of the carpet. A scratching came from the door and Lily lifted her cream-colored head.

"Enter." Sheek mewed.

Lightning padded in with Shard, Ember, Jade, and Razor. "Here they are Sheek." He mewed, dipping his angular head.

Sheek nodded and flicked his tail at Razor. "Come meet your new mate Razor."

Razor glared slightly at Sheek but padded over to Lily and sat a tail length away from her. Lily glanced over at Razor and shrunk away slightly, ears flat. Sheek rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll introduce you two myself!" He grumbled. "Razor, this is Lily. Lily, this is Razor. You two will be mates. Ember will supervise you two. If Razor doesn't do it right, do it for him."

Ember smirked at Lily and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Of course Sheek." He mewed.

Lily's eyes widened fearfully at Ember and she seemed to become smaller and smaller. Razor's golden eyes were lit with confusion and fear. He obviously didn't know what to do. Mate with Lily and feel horrible about it or let Ember mate with Lily and still feel horrible about it? Shiver blinked, the painful emptiness inside of her seeming to burn.

"Escort them away Ember!" Sheek rolled his eyes.

Ember nodded and shoved Lily towards the door, grinning maliciously. Lily's green eyes were wide with fear. Razor followed, casting a sad glance at Shiver. After they had gone, Shiver closed her eyes for a moment, trying to drain the pain from her heart.

"Oh, boo-hoo." Shard sneered. "You're probably going to go through the same thing!" His dark blue eyes gleamed with hatred.

"Shut your jaws Shard." Sheek snapped. "We have things to discuss. You, Jade, Lightning, and Shiver will be going to fetch kits today. Lightning, you're in charge as always. Now listen, I want an apprentice she-cat and two tom kits. Oh, and while you're at it, get me a strong she-kit from ShadowClan. With more cats, we'll need a kit to raise as one of us."

Lightning nodded. "Yes Sheek."

Then he flicked his tail and led them all out. They exited the house and padded out into the slowly darkening plain. Setting off at a trot, Shiver followed the others towards the forest. Her heart leapt as she saw where they were going. Was that really where the clans lived? Just as she was imagining what it would look like and smell like, Lightning veered to the right and they began padding up a steep slope. The sun was dipping below the horizon as they reached the top of the plain. A sharp wind stung Shiver's eyes and tugged at her silky pelt as she looked over the land. A huge, lush moor stretched out in front of her.

"Before we cross the border, I better tell Shiver the rules." Lightning meowed over the wind, the black tabby stripes becoming more apparent against his dark pelt from the golden sunlight. "Follow us. Make no noise. If you scent or hear another cat, alert the others and run back here. If you do otherwise, you can expect to be taken to the Blood Tree as soon as we get back." He narrowed his dark golden eyes, giving Shiver a harsh, warning glare.

Shiver dipped her head. "Yes Master."

Lightning blinked once and turned around. He raised his tail against the breeze and the group moved forward. Twilight arrived as they reached the camp. They checked that they were downwind and found a good entrance to camp that would let them enter undetected. Lightning stuck his head into camp through a thick clump of grass. His angular face reappeared and he nodded for the others to follow. All of the cats sneaked into camp, their paws lighter than feathers on air.

As Shiver surveyed the camp, she noted that many cats were sleeping out in the clearing.

_WindClan... _She thought.

Lightning swiftly led the group through the darkest shadows of camp towards a thick nest of brambles that smelled of milk. Lightning silently split the cats up into two groups with a flick of his tail. Shard led Shiver to the apprentice den, sticking to the deepest of shadows so that his brilliant white pelt wouldn't be noticed. Jade followed Lightning into the nursery.

Shiver peered into the den, her eyes widening. Several kits that looked about Lily's age slept peacefully, unaware of the intruders. Shard looked through the cats, scenting out the she-cats. He narrowed his eyes in thought and quickly flicked his tail at a pale golden tabby she-cat. Shiver nodded, wondering how they were going to get the she-cat back to camp without waking her up. To her surprise, Shard turned to Shiver and made a swift slapping motion with his paw. Shiver's eyes flared in surprise at first and then turned to cold anger. She had to hurt cats if she didn't want to get hurt. Reluctantly, she took a deep breath and raised her good paw high above her head. Shard then quickly poked the she-cat with his tail. The golden cat opened her eyes and gasped slightly, but didn't have a chance to scream before Shiver brought her paw down swiftly, knocking the she-cat sharply on the head.

The apprentice's gray eyes dulled and closed as her body relaxed. Shard carefully picked the cat up, decisive in his movements and careful not to disturb the others. He flopped the she-cats hindquarters across Shiver's back and held on tightly to the she-cats scruff. Shiver stifled a grunt of pain and limped out in front of Shard.

They emerged into the chilling night. It was almost moon-high. They would have to hurry to get to ShadowClan for the last kit. Lightning and Jade soon met them back at their make-shift entrance with a large sack in Jade's jaws. Shard hefted the she-cat they were carrying into the bag after Lightning looked her over and nodded satisfactorily. Then all of them streaked away into the night.

They arrived at ShadowClan territory as the moon rested above the trees. Lightning left Shard to guard their already captured slaves. He led Shiver and Jade into camp, on the side opposite to the actual entrance. Shiver wrinkled up her nose. The stench of swamp filled it, making her feel sick. She slipped into the nursery after Jade. Lightning quickly pointed out a strong looking she-kit that couldn't have been more than a few sunrises old. Jade soon found the one she thought most suitable. Lightning looked to Shiver and nodded. Shiver blinked in surprise and quickly looked the kits over. She found a promising looking she-kit that looked to be only just born.

Lightning looked Shiver's choice over with narrowed golden eyes. It was a ruddy she-kit with a thick pelt and short-ish legs. She had a stocky build and long tail. Lightning finally nodded and gently picked up the she-kit in his jaws, blinking at Shiver in acknowledgment. Shiver dipped her head and followed the others out. Jade smiled at Shiver briefly and then padded after Lightning.

They met with Shard at the edge of the territory, the dark night sky beginning to show gray streaks of dawn. Shiver sighed contentedly as the smell of the swamp disappeared. Jade and Shard carried the bag back and Lightning held the new member of their group in his jaws. The four cats padded swiftly out of the territory, disappearing with the moon as fearful cries began to ring around the camps of ShadowClan and WindClan.

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**YAY! MEH HAD TOOOO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS CHAPPIE! Tehe... Anyway, I would like some name ideas for the kits from WindClan. I already have the name for the new 'master' chosen. So, please give me some ideas!**

**~Flamesong  
**


	12. Chapter 9

**Wow! Lots of reviews and faves!!!!!!!! Thank you guys sooooo much!!!! Great name suggestions too! ^^ I'll be putting up another allegiance thing up after this chapter. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the idea of warriors... I do NOT have that incredible of an imagination...  
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Chapter 9

"Jade, do you know if Lily is pregnant yet?" Sheek mewed loudly from the top of his sofa.

Shiver felt a pang in her chest as Razor ducked his head, ears flattening. She and Razor didn't get much chance to talk now that Shiver was busy with Stormspirit's kits and the kits they had stolen from WindClan. Smoke sat calmly beside her, her ginger tail tip flicking. Smoke was unusually rebellious. She had obviously inherited Shard's behavior. She already had a deep 'V' carved into one of her black ears.

"No Sheek, she's not showing any signs." Jade mewed, slightly worried.

Sheek shook his head, glaring. "I just don't understand it..."

"Maybe she's infertile." Robin suggested.

Shiver threw a sideways glance at the ruddy she-cat that had once been the kit that she had chosen to be taken from ShadowClan. It had been at least three moons since then. Shiver wished she had made a different choice. Robin was a roudy little punk who loved a good fight between friends. She knew how to press others' buttons and took advantage of that. She took every chance she got to give the slaves a clawing. As soon as she was a few weeks old, she had been told that she was Jade's kit and that she was just drinking from Storm because Jade's milk would not come. The mouse-brained kit actually believed it.

Sheek shook his head. "Impossible! When we went to look at her, she had already had a litter of kits."

"Then maybe it's Razor." Ember growled.

Razor's head went even lower, his golden eyes wide and fearful, hoping that they wouldn't punish him.

Lightning shrugged. "It's possible, but not likely."

Sheek nodded in agreement. "Anyways, we need to move on with this meeting." He growled. "It's about time we named those kits we got a few moons back." He looked to Lightning. "I assume you gathered the suggestions?"

The black tabby nodded and flicked his tail at Shiver. Shiver swiftly spun around and nudged a gray tortie tom gently forward. The little tom shrunk under Lightning and Sheek's gazes. He quickly scuttle backwards.

"That's not how you handle them you little twit!" Shard snorted. "Do it like this!"

He padded over and grabbed the kit by the scruff. Shard quickly swung his head back and chucked the tom-kit into the center of the rug. Shiver almost flinched. She had grown to protecting these kits and felt like somewhat of a guardian towards them. Shard sniffed in satisfaction as the little tom squealed in pain. Sheek smirked and nodded.

"Names." He demanded to Lightning.

"Jade says Bolt, Ember says Talon, Robin says Shadow, Shard says Dagger, and I say Jet." Lightning recited in a flash.

"Hm... Jet." Sheek mewed quickly.

The gray tortoise shell's ears pricked slightly at his new name. Then he quickly dipped his head in respect and slunk back to huddle behind Shiver.

"Next." Sheek barked.

Shiver glanced back at the other tom-kit, knowing that she wouldn't have to tell him to get up there. Almost at once, the little golden tabby tom sprung up to his paws and bolted onto the carpet, sitting straight as a board.

"Rabin says Flame, Ember says Blade, Jade says Gold, Shard says Talon, and I say Rust." Lightning mewed.

"Talon." Sheek mewed instantly. "Now the she-cat."

The newly named Talon scuttled back to Shiver and plopped down next to Hawk. The WindClan she-cat glanced at Shard and, with wide gray eyes quickly slunk onto the carpet, cowering under the gazes of several cats.

Sheek narrowed his eyes in thought. "What's your name kit?" He growled.

"S-Summerpaw." The pale golden she-cat stuttered.

Sheek rolled his eyes. "Your name is now Summer."

Summerpaw took a deep gulp, and whispered very quietly. "C-couldn't I j-just keep my old name...? P-please..?"

Sheek bounded down from the couch, towering over Summer. "No, you cannot keep your old name! It's a clan name! And you are no longer a clan cat!" He growled and slashed the she-cat's muzzle angrily.

Summer squeaked slightly as blood dripped onto the already blood-stained carpet. Shiver blinked, staring at the carpet and noting the huge dark red stain that was her blood. She glared slightly.

"Sheek." She mewed respectfully and solemnly. "You've already taken enough away from her. Do you have to take her name too?"

Sheek's dark amber eyes lit to flame and he stalked over to Shiver. "I would think that after all the beatings you have taken, you would have realized that you can't HAVE ANYTHING! You belong to US! We decide what goes, and if you don't listen, we take you to the Blood Tree."

Shiver's eyes flashed in horror and fear. They never took young kits to the Blood Tree, only older cats. Stormspirit had numerous scars from that awful place and on a hot day, you could smell the dried blood rotting, filling the whole plain with a putrid stench. Lightning smirked and his tail flicked eagerly.

"We've held off your trip much too long. It's time you learn that WE are your masters, and if you go against us, you WILL pay for it." Sheek's eyes narrowed, his ears twitching madly.

Shiver took a deep breath, trying to remain calm as her heart started racing. She watched as Ember and Shard joined Lightning and Robin in surrounding her, waiting for Sheek to give orders.

"Lightning, Robin." Sheek snapped, tail lashing. "Take her."

Shard rolled his eyes in disappointment and spat in Shiver's face before turning and stalking away. Ember sniffed and muttered something to Shard before taking his place beside Razor and Lily. Lightning's golden eyes gleamed with an eerie light and Robin licked her lips eagerly. Shiver felt fear overwhelm her. She had no idea what was to come. Lightning and Robin slowly closed in on her and Shiver backed quickly away, icy eyes glimmering in hate, fear, and horror. Lightning slashed at her.

"Turn around and **run** she-cat!" He sneered.

Shiver took a few more steps back, afraid to turn her back to her two tormentors.

"He said, **RUN!**" Robin hissed, blue eyes glaring as she slashed Shiver's ear.

Shiver yelped and spun around, taking off in a sprint. Blood trickled down into Shiver's eyes making her vision blur red. She ran blindly down the hall and out of the mansion. Lightning landed a blow on her hind right leg and Shiver yowled, stumbling slightly. She couldn't stop now. She pushed on, the pain in her leg screaming as if it had been covered in poison. Shiver threw a glance backwards to see Lightning and Robin right on her heels. Robin bunched her legs and sprang forward, landing both front paws on Shiver's hindquarters, digging her claws in and using her hind legs to use as brakes against the ground. Shiver felt herself being pulled backwards and struggled forward, pulling Robin's claws through her skin as she did. That gave Lighting enough time and land a bit on Shiver's other ankle. Shiver screeched and shot forward, the pain searing in her, but she couldn't stop.

Soon, she felt numb, exhausted. Her head spun and she had no idea where she was going. Slowly, she realized that Lightning and Robin were herding her down towards the swamp. The retched smell wafted up her nose as she tried to breath and she gagged. She was forced on with a sharp bite on the tail. Just as Shiver thought she would pass out, she was sent hurtling into a soggy clearing by Lightning's huge black paw. Shiver landed in a huge puddle of mud. Her legs sank slowly into the wet dirt and stuck between her toes. Shiver struggled to pull herself out as it sucked at her belly fur. Lightning and Robin stood there, laughing as they watched her strain.

Finally, Lighting sunk his teeth into Shiver's scruff and hauled her out of the mud. Shiver collapsed on the soggy ground, coughing and gagging so that she could barely breath. Her stomach was empty and throbbed from exhaustion. Her limbs ached with exhaustion and her wounds stung, though the cold mud had lessened that some. She began dry-heaving, hacking bile up that dripped down her chin along with traces of mud she had swallowed.

Lightning stalked over to her, grinning maliciously. His eyes flashed, glinting with hatred and another unreadable emotion. Robin stood behind him, recognizing that Lightning would decide when they would begin torturing Shiver. Robin was only three moons old and had never taken a cat to the Blood Tree before, so the young she-cat's eyes flickered around now and then.

Shiver managed to glance around too, and quickly realized why this place was called the Blood Tree. A huge cypress tree loomed in the center of the clearing, it's thick roots waving out, grasping the ground around it. There were chains on the tree. All over the tree. As Shiver looked higher up in the tree, the chains got rustier and more fragile. Some looked as if they would fall apart and metal would come raining down. They were all stained with blood. Even the trunk was splotched with a deep crimson red. The trunk had huge grooves carved into it as if a cat had been pushed against the tree and was clawing against it to get away.

The rest of the clearing was surrounded by strange things that Shiver had never seen before. The only thing she recognized was a cage with several small leashes hanging over it. The metal was encrusted with blood and the leashes weren't the pale tan color like the ones Shiver was used to seeing. Instead they were a stiff and stained with a deep crimson from soaking in blood. The only thing that wasn't stained with blood was the soggy, disgusting ground.

After a moment, Shiver managed to stagger to her feet and glare at Lightning and Robin, spitting the last bit of mud out of her mouth. She thought for sure that the taste of that swamp would stay on her tongue forever. Lightning smirked.

"We've got ourselves a fighter!" He announced, grinning. "And the torture hasn't even started yet."

Robin ran her tongue over her sharp white fangs that were still tiny. Shiver couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor kit. She had been turned into a little monster, yearning for blood.

"First, let's try the cage!" Robin smirked, tail lashing.

Lightning nodded and crept towards Shiver. Robin followed, knowing exactly what to do. Robin had already been taught certain torture methods by Shard and Sheek. The two cats dove forward at the same time. Shiver screeched as Lightning grabbed her ear and Robin her hind leg. Robin slipped under Shiver, taking the hind leg with her. Lightning pulled Shiver's head down by her ear. As a result, Shiver was easily pinned to the ground. Lightning shot off and grabbed a leash while Robin drew her claws down Shiver's exposed belly, staining her paws with Shiver's blood. Lightning quickly grabbed Shiver's two front legs in his jaws, holding them firmly together, his fangs digging into Shiver. Robin grabbed the leash and wrapped it tightly around Shiver's muddy paws, snapping it into place so that her front paws were bound together.

Shiver barely had time to scream before they took a strange metal loop and shoved it around her jaws. Lightning wrapped his jaws around the metal loop and bit down. Shiver heard a sharp click and the metal came down around her mouth, holding her jaws together. The edges were sharp and dug into her muzzle. She tried to yowl, but the metal loop wrapped around her mouth wouldn't let her open it.

Lightning leapt away from Shiver as she thrashed, eyes wild with fear. It was hard to breath under her the metal loop and she sucked the air in painfully through her nose. Lightning shoved Shiver into the blood encrusted cage, cursing as one of her claws on her hind legs caught his side. He clicked the door shut. Strangely, this cage was more secure than the ones they were usually kept in. One of Robin's ruddy paws shot through the bars and hooked onto the leash that bound Shiver's front paws together. Lightning then helped Robin attach the leash to the side of the cage. Shiver's heart pounded with fear of the unknown. She couldn't move her front paws or even yowl in pain.

Lightning grabbed a roughly sharpened branch in his jaws and shoved it through the cage bars, poking Shiver roughly. A new wound on her flank now trickled with fresh blood. By now, her pelt was a swirl of drying mud and blood. Shiver ducked shakily as Lightning shoved the stick forward again. He stuck it through a space opposite of the place he had first pushed it through. More and more sharpened branches were shoved through the cage, into place. Soon, Shiver could hardly move. She was surrounded by solid, unbreakable sticks that had been stripped of their bark and stained with blood.

Shiver expected to be gouged with another stick while she couldn't move, but instead, Lightning and Robin padded away, snickering to themselves. Before she knew it she was all alone. Unable to speak or move. Her muscles began to cramp up and she felt as if her whole body was about to shrivel up. Every time she shifted, a splinter would dig into her skin. Finally, she gave up on all hope, crouching slightly, unable to stand up or sit down because of the branches above her back, holding her down, and the ones underneath her, keeping her from laying down.

As the sun sunk in the sky and mosquitoes began to bite her, she wondered if she would die this way. A gash on her shoulder was still bleeding and she was beginning to feel light-headed. Just as she heard some rustling in the bushes, her senses dulled and she passed out.

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**Wow.... that chapter was... depressing..... But it was important in the plot! You'll see why! =D**

**Another note: I'm sorry if I could not use your kit's name for this... I can only use two cuz I already had the she-cats decided. I probably should have said this earlier, but here are the 'rules' if you want your kit to be in the story.**

**-I can't just randomly throw cats in the story, so be patient.**

**-Please give me the name and description. (personality if you want, but i can't do history.)**

**-First come, first serve.**

**-You may only have 1 kit in the story. (unless i need your kit to die for some reason. then you can make another one. but it can't be the same!)  
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**These rules will apply from now on!**

**Thank you!!! :)**

**~Flamesong  
**


	13. Allegiances 3

**Here's the 3rd allegiance page as well as the disclaimers for the names of the windclan tom-kits!**

**Disclaimer: Eilatan1011 came up with the name Talon, and Amber 342 came up with Jet**

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Allegiances

**Masters**

Sheek- slick tortie tom with long, sharp claws and an oily pelt; as well as extremely dark amber eyes, almost brown

Lightning- gaunt, but strong smoky black tabby tom with pale amber eyes

Shard- pure white tom with dark blue eyes and long, slick fur (mate- Storm) (kits- Stormy, Smoke, Night, Hawk)

Ember- fluffy, dark ginger tom with golden eyes and a white chest

Jade- elegant dark, chocolate brown she-cat with dark green eyes

Robin- young, ruddy-colored she-cat with a ragged pelt and dark blue-indigo eyes

**Slaves**

Storm (Stormspirit)- pretty dark gray she-cat with blue-gray eyes (mate- Shard) (kits- Bristle, Stormy, Smoke, Night, Hawk)

Shiver- graceful pale silver and white she-cat with pale, ice blue eyes

Razor- rusty ginger tom with bright amber eyes (mate- Lily)

Bristle- thick-furred black tom with yellow eyes

Stormy- sleek, black she-cat with dark indigo eyes

Smoke- dark gray she-cat with a white underbelly and dark ginger paws and tail tip; green eyes

Night- pure black she-cat with dark amber eyes

Hawk- white tom with bright amber eyes

Summer (Summerpaw)- pale golden tabby she-cat with dark gray eyes and a longish pelt

Lily- silky cream-colored she-cat with green eyes (mate- Razor)

Talon- golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Jet- gray tortie tom with silvery eyes

**Other**

Larkfeather- captivating gray tabby she-cat, slightly dappled with white; icy blue eyes

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**I decided to add more information so that I don't get things mixed up! ;)**

**~Flamesong  
**


	14. Chapter 10

**Well hello meh little readers! XD lol... Anyway, I must inform you that this chappie is VERY important. VERY. It's HUGE in the plot and lots of details about the characters are added. Pay close attention or you might miss one little sentence that changes A LOT.**

**Disclaimer- I dun own warriors.... if I did... I WOULD START A JAYFEATHER PLUSHY FACTORY!!!**

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Chapter 10

_"Shiver. Shiver, wake up."_

_"Wha-? Oh! Ow!"_

_Shiver lifted her head painfully and blinked. Her whole body ached horribly._

_"Wh-what happened...?" She groaned, closing her eyes again._

_Then it all came back. Running faster and faster. The swamp. The tree with the chains. The mud choking her, filling her throat. The cage. The splinters, digging into her skin. The fear, the hate, the anger. And the blood. Oh the blood..._

_"It's alright. You're not dead..." Larkfeather's voice mewed comfortingly, but the way it trailed off at the end made Shiver uneasy._

_"Mom... When will this be over?" Shiver moaned, pain shooting up her back._

_"Shh! Shh..." Larkfeather hushed her daughter. "Stay still... I need time to work..."_

_"What?" Shiver mewed, confused. "You don't know how to heal... you're a warrior..."_

_Larkfeather didn't answer, eyes grim. Instead she plucked a leaf with jagged edges off of a small pile of foreign looking leaves that shimmered and gleamed strangely._

_"B-but..." Shiver's eyes became wide. "You... you mean you're... a-uh... a medicine cat?!"_

_Larkfeather still didn't answer. She chewed the sparkling leaf up and gave it to Shiver._

_"Eat this." She sighed. "It will heal your wounds on the inside, but they'll still appear to be there on the outside."_

_Shiver's icy eyes were flickering back and forth as thoughts spilled out of her mind. She took the poultice and slowly ate it, confused. It didn't remind her of ANY plant she had ever eaten before and she had never seen anything like it either._

_While she was still chewing, Larkfeather sighed and slowly began to explain. "It's a special herb that grows only in StarClan's forests. It's called star holly. There's also stardust flower, night nettle, starry mushrooms, moon bush, and twilight berries." She paused, blinking sadly. "Yes... I'm a medicine cat... I gave you to my sister, Moonpetal, after you were born. She had just had her own litter of kits right after I had you. I hid you for one day until Her litter was born... and then I gave you to her. Her kits were killed at the same time I was, during the rouge attack, two days after you were born. She loved you more than anything even though you weren't really hers..."_

_Larkfeather sighed again and looked up at the moon waning overhead. "Your father's name was Rushfire. He was an amazing warrior... and deputy. In fact, he's still deputy. It was just an awkward meeting that started it... bumping into each other accidentally... exchanging a few words and going our separate ways... Then we ran into each other again near the stream. I caught him staring at me. It just kept rolling downhill from there... We got caught up in romance and ended up with you..."_

_Shiver sat stone-still, letting the words sink in. She was a forbidden... Perhaps StarClan had let her be enslaved for that reason... No... StarClan wouldn't throw their wrath upon an innocent kit. After a few moments of silence, Shiver felt a wave of icy coldness wash through her bringing a surging pain. She gasped as it reached its peak and then subsided. Then another wave came over her. A wave of fiery heat. Shiver panted slightly. The wave had left her pelt feeling as if it was on fire._

_"Do something!" She coughed to Larkfeather, icy eyes wide from the scorching feeling._

_"The herb is working my sweet... just relax... It will pass as quickly as it came." Her mother replied calmly._

_Shiver laid her head down, still panting, waiting for the pain to pass. It finally did and she was left feeling refreshed and cool as if she had been doused in a pool of moonlight. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. Then she scanned her pelt, blinking at the wounds that were still open, but no longer ached at all. She was still coated in mud and dark crimson blood. She got to her paws experimentally, shaking her pelt. A smile slowly spread across her face and her brilliant icy eyes lit up with a melting warmth._

_"I love you mom." Shiver smiled, choking with happiness._

_Larkfeather smiled weakly, her gaze bitter-sweet. "Thank you Shiver. I love you too."_

_Shiver leaned against her mother's pelt, wishing she could stay there forever. She closed her eyes, feeling a rush of calm and tiredness gently wash over her. She relaxed, breathing in the sweet smell of Larkfeather's cool, starry pelt._

_"Sleep my sweet... sleep..." Larkfeather's voice gently breathed into Shiver's ear._

_Shiver tried to open her eyes again, but only found darkness._

_"No! Please! Come back!" Shiver yowled, her mews disappearing with the sucking darkness._

_After a few moments of clawing at nothing, Shiver gave up and let her body go limp. As soon as she did, her senses left her and she sunk into a deep sleep._

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_  
_"Hey! Wake up!!!" A voice hissed quietly.

Shiver blinked her eyes open drowsily. "Huh..?"

"Wake up!" The voice responded more loudly.

Shiver slowly sat up, quickly remembering that her wounds weren't suppose to be healed and moving much slower. She blinked her eyes wearily, throwing in a groan. It took her a few heartbeats to realize that she was no longer in a blood-covered cage and was lying on the soggy swamp floor. Her pelt was still covered in swirls of brown and crimson. She shook her head to clear it and blinked up at bleary cat in front of her until her vision cleared from sleep and she could see the lithe black tabby shape of Lightning towering over her, his golden eyes narrowed and glittering. Shiver shrunk back slightly.

"We don't have time for sleep!" He growled.

For the first time Shiver noticed that behind Lightning's hard glare, was a strange ripple of cold worry. Shiver narrowed her eyes in confusing.

"What?!" She snapped, grunting slightly, ears flat against her head. "You torture me until I pass out from blood loss and now you're **worried**?!"

Lightning hissed, throwing a right swing with his claws. Shiver only had to duck slightly to avoid it. She raised a brow at Lightning.

"What is wrong with you?!" She glared.

Lightning paused, looking as if he was sorting the words around in his mouth. He growled slightly, glaring at Shiver resentfully.

"What is it?!" Shiver hissed, forcing herself not to jump to her paws in frustration.

Lightning hissed at her, claws digging into the soggy soil of the swamp. Shiver fell silent, recognizing that Lightning was still in power over her. Lightning nodded, satisfied.

He paused for another moment before speaking. "You... are a very strange cat..." He mewed with a slight growl. "You have a power over other cats, though you may not know it... Your eyes do more than frighten. They entrance and draw other cats in..."

Shiver swallowed the lump forming in her throat, forcing herself to chuckle slightly, unable to believe what he was saying. "No... uh-uh...." She laughed slightly, voice tense.

Lightning bit his lip, looking at the ground. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again, letting out a sharp hiss. Then he growled at her, slashing her over the muzzle.

"You don't understand what you do to me! I love you but I hate you so much!" Lightning was seething now, his tail lashing and claws kneading at the swampy ground.

Shiver stared at him, icy blue eyes dull with shock and slight fear. Then her gaze turned hard and she hissed fiercely at him.

"Well then why don't you go fall in love with some other she-cat then?!" She spat at him, eyes filled with cold hatred. "If I'm not doing you any good, why don't you just toss me to the side of the thunderpath?! Why not go flirt with Robin and win her over?! You could probably even get Jade for a mate!!!"

Lightning stood slowly and padded forward until the two cats were standing nose to nose, both golden and pale blue eyes flashing dangerously. "And why don't you just shut your little trap?! I don't need input from a worthless little kit who knows nothing about me!!!"

Lightning swung around, sitting down and facing away from Shiver. He glared straight ahead. Shiver stayed in place. Her fur slowly laid flat and her face fell until she was on the verge of tears.

"I know what it's like not to be you." She breathed almost silently.

"What?!" Lightning snapped, whirling back around.

Shiver's eyes flared again. "I said I know what it's like not to be you!" She shot back.

Then her voice faltered again and she looked away. "You can pick any she-cat you want to mate with. You could get any cat in the whole forest. But not me. I don't get a choice. Instead, when Sheek eventually chooses a mate for me, I'll either have to go along with it, or get raped. I don't get to love. And even if I choose to love, it won't work out. I have no choice. You have any choice."

Lightning stared at Shiver, slightly stunned at her intellect. One part of him wanted to tear her to pieces for disrespect and the other part of him wanted to give her a gentle lick on the ear. He took an unsteady step towards her. Shiver looked up, eyes widening in surprise at the look of compassion on Lightning's face.

"GAH!" He yowled at himself, digging his claws into the ground. "Look... look... Look at what you're doing to me!!!"

Shiver shrunk back from Lightning's fury as he descended upon her with blow after blow. When he had finally let his anger out, he sat, breathing heavily. Shiver sat up, amazed to find that she didn't have even one scratch. Just several bruises. She glared furiously at Lightning.

"You make me sick." She growled darkly.

Then she stalked away, out of the clearing, and back to the mansion. Lightning followed quickly behind her, trying to compose himself. Shiver threw a nasty snarl back at him before turning to her thoughts. Razor... Why did Sheek have to make Lily his mate? Why not her? Right... She was his sister... That's all she would ever be, and nothing more. Razor's sister. That's all she would ever mean to him. His sister.

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**Sheesh.... short chapter... and I'm really sorry for taking so long to get it up. I've been SOOOOOO busy....... like... really really really really really really busy....**

**Anyway! THE PLOT IS UNVEILING!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!! So tell me you were surprised!? Weren't ya!?!?! I mean, Lightning?!?!? Likes Shiver??!?!?! And Larkfeather?!?!? A medicine cat?!?!?! ZOMG!!!!!!! *faints* XD**

**~Flamesong  
**


	15. Chapter 11

**HEY THERE EVERYBODY! DUE TO PEER PRESSURE AND EXCITEMENT TO GET THIS CHAPTER OUT, I AM TRYING TO PUBLISH THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! ^^ HOPE I GET IT DONE SOON!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own warriors. If you would like to recommend a more interesting disclaimer, please give me one and I'll give you credit!**

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Chapter 11

As soon as Shiver neared the mansion, she could hear screams. Loud, angry, and desperate screams all mixed together. She cringed as she padded in. It was coming from Sheek's room. Lightning immediately pushed his way in front of Shiver and lead her to the cage room, amber eyes dark, not even hinting at the scene that had happened just before. He locked Shiver in a cage and tossed her some scraps of meat. Shiver noted that he must have 'accidentally' given her a piece that wasn't rotting. She reluctantly nibbled at it, not the slightest bit hungry. Her appetite had been washed away and was now even less due to the petrified and commanding screams that came from the center room. She tried desperately to block them out.

_What do I do now mother? _She pleaded her deceased parent to respond.

Nothing. She sighed, on the verge of tears. Razor and her mother were both gone. She was left to struggle on her own. She waited, listening to the endless screams that must have lasted until moon high. They got more and more shallow as the fearful cat became exhausted and the voice started to crack when it sounded loudly. Finally, the screams stopped all together. Shiver listened carefully, her icy eyes round with fear for the tortured cat. Soon, she heard paw steps in the hallway and Lightning appeared, dragging a lacerated Summer with him. She looked almost dead.

"What did you do to her?!" Shiver gasped, eyes unbelieving as they took in the beaten she-cat.

Lightning hissed, glaring, and dropped Summer. "Shut up kit!"

Shiver hissed slightly, but wisely stayed silent. Lightning rolled his eyes and drug Summer over to Shiver's cage. He flicked the lock open with his tail. Shiver struggled to her feet, remembering her 'wounds,' and nosed the cage door open. Lightning blinked in gratitude, but caught himself and tossed Summer into the cage in fury.

"Fox dung eating little runt!" He snarled, slamming the cage door shut with his hind leg as he swung around.

Shiver growled right back at him. "No good emotional freak!"

Lightning's ear flinched slightly as he stormed out of the room. Shiver let her gaze flow after him until he was gone. Then she turned to Summer, her eyes full of horror and uncertainty. The young she-cat's skin was torn every which way and splotched with blood. Her ears were completely shredded and her scruff was an unnatural scarlet and torn very deeply. Her front paw was completely crushed and a deep scar traced right under her eye. Shiver's heart rate slowly sped up in fear. Her head whipped around as she heard the slightest noise. Jade padded into the room, carrying herbs towards Storm's cage.

"JADE!!!" Shiver screeched, voice very high-pitched.

Jade jumped in surprise and turned towards Shiver, emerald eyes wide. She rushed over, worried.

"What in the name of-?" She cut herself off as her gaze captured Summer's limp body.

Jade fumbled terribly as she tried to get the lock open, slightly panicked. "Oh, litter-!" She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, glancing around in worry.

Then she turned back to the cage and took a deep breath before carefully moving the piece of metal in the right combination of directions. She shook her pelt to calm herself as she flicked the cage open and grabbed her herbs before climbing into the cage. Shiver scuttled out to give Jade a little more room. Jade quickly began cleaning the blood off of Summer's pelt, flicking her tail for Shiver to help. Shiver dipped her head and leaned into the cage, licking Summer's pale golden fur. As the salty blood taste melted onto her tongue, she wondered what Jade had been about to say earlier... what was litter?

After all of the blood was cleaned off, Jade checked Summer's heart and began attending to her crushed paw. Shiver handed herbs to Jade as she demanded them. Eventually, Summer was almost completely covered by poultice and cobwebs and her paw was wrapped in stiff leaves, held together by a mass of cobwebs, mud, and a dab of honey. Shiver smiled weakly to Jade in thanks, then her face darkened.

"Do... do you know what happened to her...?" She asked quietly, blinking.

Jade's lips pulled back into a grim frown. "Well..." She hesitated for a moment. "As far as I can tell... she was... well... raped... by more than one cat."

Shiver sucked in a slight breath and stared numbly at Summer. Poor she-cat... Shiver closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing hard. She stood there for a moment, picturing the blood. The pain. The fear. Shiver struggled to keep the lump from forming in her throat again. She let out a shaky breath and opened her eyes, looking over at Jade's paws. Jade stared at Shiver, her brilliant eyes glowing in regret and pain.

"Come on Shiver." Jade blinked, looking quickly away, eyes hard and cold again. "You'll need to wash the mud out of your wounds, or they'll get infected."

She stood and slipped out of the cage, head and tail high though her paws dragged slightly. Shiver stared after her curiously before following, closing the cage door behind her. Jade was so confusing.

Jade flicked her ear at Ember and Shard as they passed her, coming in from outside. They acknowledged her with a blink. Jade held her prestige, stance very proud and elegant. It was as if she had never stared at Summer in horror. As if she had never even batted an eye at a deep wound or felt sorry for a crying kit in the night. Shiver followed, ducking her head at Ember and Shard who sneered at her.

They emerged into the twilight, freezing air stinging Shiver's nose and making her eyes water. Jade blinked and glanced around warily for a moment, her ears tipped forward slightly. After a moment of scowling at the golden clad plain, she relaxed and padded forward, flicking her tail lightly for Shiver to follow. Shiver narrowed her eyes at Jade. Was she really a master?

As they walked, it began to snow lightly, descending from the night sky in huge, soft flakes that melted slowly upon landing. Jade led Shiver down to the creek, her emerald eyes reflecting the calmly shimmering surface in the dim light. Shiver shook her pelt slightly, forgetting completely that she still had 'wounds'. Jade glanced over at her.

"Shiver?" She mewed quietly, eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "I've always known there was something different about you."

Shiver shrugged, padding toward the stream and bending to lap at the surface. The icy water was like the first taste of winter creeping through her. Jade shook her head.

"Look at you!" She marveled. "Just a moment ago you were limping miserably and now you look as if you were never injured at all!"

Shiver's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly blinked and the strange look was gone as she turned back to Jade. "And why do you care?" She snapped angrily. "You're one of **them**."

Jade's whiskers trembled slightly and a sad look crept into her eyes. "Yes... one of them..." Then she shook he head and returned to her point. "Now, I want to know what's up with you."

Her demanding look made Shiver bite her lip self-consciously and look away. Jade's gaze burned into Shiver's mud-covered pelt, making her shift uncomfortably. Jade wasn't going to give up easily.

"Alright..." Shiver sighed finally. "What do you want to know?"

"How can you have open wounds, but act perfectly healthy?" The dark tabby shot her question quickly.

Shiver sighed nervously, not meeting Jade's intrigued gaze. "I... well... my mother heals me. My true mother that is..."

Jade's expression looked confused and completely infatuated. "How did you know Storm isn't your mother?"

"Stormspirit." Shiver growled quietly.

Jade blinked, unsure of what to think. "Then... uh... you know where you're from?"

Shiver nodded her delicate, angular face. "Of course." Her tone was unusually flat in its moonlight-like quality.

Jade listened intently, her eyes glowing curiously as she listened to Shiver carefully explain the dreams of her mother. Shiver's face changed expression constantly as she told of Rushfire, her father, and Moonpetal, her aunt and adopted mother. Jade ate up every word as if it were catnip. When Shiver grew silent, wrapping her tail around her paws, Jade stared at the stream, eyes glowing intelligently.

"Wow," She murmured. "I never thought anything could be so complicated."

Shiver nodded slowly and the two sat in silence watching the stars peek in and out from behind the silky clouds. Jade squinted, imagining cats living among the stars like Shiver's mother was supposed to be. Then Shiver asked her an unexpected question.

"What were you saying earlier?" Shiver mewed suddenly, shattering the silence, not taking her icy blue eyes off of the sky.

"What do you mean?" Jade mewed, trying to look expressionless like she had seen the other masters do a thousand times.

"You know what I mean." Shiver's gaze still didn't shift. "You said something earlier... back in the cage room."

"Oh... that..." Jade muttered. "That was... just a curse word...."

Shiver nodded, holding back an accusing smile. "Yes, a very unusual curse word I've never heard before. Where did you learn it?"

Jade bit her lip and sighed in surrender. "Alright, alright." She mewed, resigned. "You told me your secrets, so I suppose I should tell you mine."

Shiver finally turned her gaze on Jade. "I'm listening."

"I'm... a.... was a.... kittypet." Jade lowered her dark tabby striped head, ears flicking back. "I ran away from my twolegs when I was a little kit."

Shiver stared, slightly caught off guard.

"What you heard me say earlier, really was a curse. One that I haven't used in... who knows how long." Jade continued explaining. "I was going to say litter box. But, then I remembered..."

Shiver nodded slowly, eyes glowing eerily in the dark. "And I'm the only one here who knows?"

Jade nodded gravely. "Can I trust you?"

Shiver shrugged. "It's not like you have a choice... but yes."

Jade smiled kindly, a kind of edgy, but knowing smile. "I knew I could."

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**Hey.... sorry I didn't get this chapter done a lot sooner... it's been a week since the date I hoped to get it published! O.o oh well... guess school's kinda getting frantic with tests and stuff... Hope I can get these chapters done quicker in the future!**

**Anyway, what do ya think? The plot has really been growing lately! Jade?! A kittypet?!?!**

**~Flamesong**


	16. Chapter 12

**YAY! MORE EXCITING STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *jumps up and down excitedly* Lol, sorry.... I have so much stuff to add to the plot... So.... PAY ATTENTION AS YOU READ!**

**Disclaimer: Well... I'm still open for more disclaimers! XD send 'em in!!! Well, okay, uh... I don't own warriors... lol...**

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**Chapter 12**

Shiver had been left alone to ponder some thoughts while Jade went upstream to look for a few herbs. Shiver stared into the freezing pool where snowflakes were dropping onto the surface, melting slowly as they were whisked away in small, tumbling currents. Her icy eyes reflected the ripples as moonlight danced off of the waving surface. A soft sound met Shiver's delicate ears and they flicked slightly she lifted her head, sighing, not wanting to return to her cold metal cage with Summer.

"I'll be right there Jade." She murmured quietly, bending to lap at the freezing surface. The water slid over her tongue, numbing it with its smooth, icy texture.

"Jade's upstream." Another cat answered her in a voice she hardly recognized. Shiver turned slowly around, blinking in surprise at the cat that met her gaze. "Hi Shiver."

"Razor?" She mewed in wonder. It had been a long time since she had spoken to him, and sunrises since she had seen him. "What are you doing out here?"

Razor smiled softly, swinging his broad ginger head around behind him. "Teaching Hawk to hunt. Lightning's watching us from up there." He shook out his ruffled pelt. "What about you?"

Shiver managed a slight smile. "Thinking... I guess... Jade wants me to clean this mud off my pelt. But who in their right mind would wash in that freezing water?"

Razor grunted a laugh, the stress draining out of his voice. "I miss you..." He whispered after a few heartbeats. "Nothing's really the same anymore."

Shiver shrugged, feeling that hole in her chest opening back up, burning more than ever before. "Yeah," She tried to shrug the empty feeling off. "But you've got Lily."

Razor sat down, curling his tail over his paws, looking away. "I guess... But she doesn't care about me... In fact, I think she hates me." He laughed weakly and shook his head, letting out a ragged sigh. "She won't let me near her. I'm not sure why either."

Shiver rolled her eyes. "Maybe it's because she's forced to mate with you?"

Razor shook his head, blinking his golden eyes. "No, it's not." Then he stretched his neck, peering carefully over the grass. When he was sure nobody was watching, he turned back to Shiver, his voice close to a whisper. "I fake it. Ember believes it too. That's why she's not getting pregnant."

Shiver blinked in surprise. She smiled a little, chuckling. That was Razor.

"Well," Razor mewed abruptly, "I better get out of here before Hawk figures out where I stuck my fresh-kill."

Before Shiver could utter another word, her adopted sibling bounded away, the grass quivering where he disappeared. She just sat there with her mouth slightly open, eyes sparkling in the night. Suddenly, a thought came over her. Why wouldn't Razor tell Hawk where he hid his prey? A warm tingling spread through her pelt, making her shiver slightly. He couldn't have possibly done it to distract Hawk so he could talk to her. Could he? No. He was probably just testing Hawk's scenting abilities. Yet as she slowly cleaned her pelt with steady licks, the wistful thought warmed the gaping emptiness.

A soft groan came from the other side of the cage and Shiver lifted her head anxiously, her icy eyes glinting. "Shiver? Wha- Oh! Ow!"

"Hush." Shiver whispered gently, sliding over next to Summer. "Don't try to move. Just relax."

Summer blinked up at Shiver with one weary gray eye. The other one was red and swollen from several scratches. Jade had to work hard to keep it from getting infected. Summer had been unconscious for four suns which made Shiver very nervous since she had to sleep with a cat that barely moved for four nights.

"My... my stomach..." Summer groaned in pain, rolling onto her side, revealing two long gashes covered in cobwebs.

"It's alright honey." Shiver mewed. "They're not infected. You've just been laying on them for too long."

"No." Summer groaned. "I feel nauseous..."

Shiver frowned. "That's strange..." Then her eyes went wide in dismay. "Oh no..."

"What?" Summer meowed, her one gray eye suddenly alert.

Shiver swallowed and gazed down at her cage mate sadly. "I think you're pregnant."

Summer's face fell and she stared down at her paws in dismay. When she looked back up at Shiver, her eye was filled with hatred. "I hate them."

Shiver nodded, growling. "I do too." She paused. "Who did this to you?"

Summer flinched as the memory flooded her mind. "Sheek, Ember, and Shard at first. And Robin was there... watching... just watching..." She whimpered. "Then Lightning came along and Sheek told him to join in. Oh my StarClan Shiver, it was horrible... It makes me sick thinking about it..." She turned away, her ears flat against her head.

Shiver nodded, feeling Summer's pain coming off of her in waves. "I wonder whose kits they will be." She whispered.

"Oh just not Shard's... please not Shard..." Summer moaned bitterly. "Great StarClan I hate him."

"You're awake!" A mew startled the two mourning she-cats.

Summer glared at Jade slightly, reminding Shiver that Summer didn't really know Jade. The dark brown tabby quickly opened the cage and slipped in.

"Jade," Shiver mewed suddenly, "She's pregnant."

Jade furrowed her brow. "I was afraid of that. But I guess it would have been unlikely for you to get pregnant after four toms..."

Summer laid her head down on her paws, glaring out the open cage door.

"I'll need to take a look at your eye." Jade instructed. "Thank goodness it's not infected yet, but that won't stop it from getting infected later."

Summer sighed and slowly turned her head towards Jade, looking at the ground.

Jade nodded, expression blank. "There we go. Now just tilt your head up just a little..."

Summer did as she was told and Jade carefully lifted the ginger she-cat's eyelid from her swollen eye, bringing a grunt of pain. Jade peered closely at the red, swollen eye and nodded. "Can you see out of it dear?"

"Yes," Summer growled. "But it's blurry."

"Good," Jade nodded, letting go of Summer's eyelid. "That means you aren't going to loose your vision in that eye. Unless, of course, it gets infected. That's why I'm going to use some marigold."

Summer flexed the eyelid over her bad eye, her other eye shining in slight fear. "Will putting herbs in my eye hurt?"

"Just a little bit." Jade meowed. "But goldenrod would hurt much more than marigold." She chewed up the petals and leaves into a poultice and spat it out on a leaf. "Shiver, spit the poultice in her eye while I hold it open."

Shiver nodded and Summer clenched her teeth slightly as Jade pulled her top eyelid up with one claw and the bottom eyelid down with two.

"Alright, now." Jade mewed to Shiver. Shiver ducked her head and lapped up some poultice and leaned over Summer's head. She pushed the chunky poultice up against the back of her teeth using her tongue and a few drops of greenish liquid fell into Summer's swollen eye. Summer let out a loud yip and jerked away, quickly closing her eye.

"Ouch..." She hissed, green juice dribbling down her cheek.

"There." Jade mewed. "Now we'll have to do that once every day to make sure it heals and doesn't get infected."

Summer nodded grimly, her bad eyelid batting a couple times, not opening all the way. Shiver spat the poultice out onto the leaf and nosed it over to Jade. Jade flicked her tail and left, dragging the leaf to just outside of the cage and popping back in to grab her herbs and then disappear down the hall.

As soon as she was gone, Summer let out a little growl. "How can we trust her with herbs? How do we know that she really knows how to use them?!"

Shiver shook her head. "Don't worry Summer. Jade's a lot nicer than she lets on."

Summer shook her head. "I don't know... I just don't know..."

"Jade, are you absolutely sure she's not pregnant?!" Sheek snapped, dark amber eyes narrowed, ears twitching, agitated.

"Yes Sheek," Jade ensured him. "I checked her very thoroughly. No morning sickness, no chest pains or anything at all."

Sheek snarled in frustration. "Razor must be infertile!" He glowered over at Razor who had grown tremendously since Shiver had shared a cage with him. Razor bowed his head, ears back in submission.

"Ember!" Sheek swung his head around to the fluffy tom. "Take care of Razor's business."

Luckily, Lily wasn't at the meeting. She was out hunting. Shiver silently thanked StarClan for that. Summer, however, was there; and boy was she there! All five kits included. When Jade had announced the number of kits, the four guilty toms exchanged glances, wondering who was going to be the father of such a large number. Now Summer was at least a moon along and absolutely huge. Shiver felt bad for the swollen she-cat who wobbled around now, barely able to lie down.

Ember grinned and nodded. "Of course Sheek." His blue eyes gleamed fiercely and Shiver's whiskers quivered.

Razor's golden eyes darted around fearfully, not wanting Lily to have to go through this. "But Sheek, I-"

"But nothing you little wimp!" Sheek snapped. "You can't get her pregnant, so you're not going to mate with her any more!"

Razor quickly ducked his head, not wanting a clawing. Shiver caught his gaze, eyes flashing sadly. 'It's okay.' She mouthed. Razor just looked away and shook his head in something close to regret.

"Do it now." Sheek ordered, obviously short-tempered, glaring at Ember as the tom dipped his head and slipped out the door.

After he was gone, Sheek turned to Shiver. "Since Summer's going to be having her kits soon, I'm moving you in with Razor and Lily." He glowered down at the white she-cat.

Shiver felt her heart leap and her pelt felt as if lightning was weaving through it, but she kept silent and dipped her head. Razor was still staring sadly at the ground, feeling horrible for Lily's.

"Oh, and also, Robin has made the decision to mate and bear a master that will join us in our ranks." Sheek added. Several heads tilted in question. Robin? A mother? Shiver blinked, confused. Who would be the father? Slight whispering began to ripple through the cats, some cast looks at Lightning and others at Shard.

"Silence!" Sheek yowled, barring his teeth and standing on the back of the couch, fur prickling dangerously. A deadly hush fell over the throng of slaves. "Robin isn't going to mate with anyone just yet, but when she does, she gets to choose who since she is a master."

Robin sat at the base of the couch, her tail lashing as her gaze traveled over the slaves, her deep blue eyes sparkling with cruelty. Talon, Jet and Hawk exchanged quick nervous glances, hoping that Robin would choose one of the masters. At that, Sheek leapt down from the couch, raising his tail and signaling that the meeting was over. Lightning, Shard, and Jade then escorted all of the slaves back to their cages. Shiver quickly fell in step beside Razor whose head was still hung miserably.

"It's not your fault." She whispered gently in his ear, her pelt filling with sparks as it brushed his. Razor didn't respond, he only curled his tail around Shiver's sending ripples of nervous energy shooting out of her system. She let a little breath of air out and her stress seemed to melt into the ground beneath her delicate paws. She squeezed Razor's tail comfortingly and her eyes shot quickly up towards the ceiling.

_If only life could always be this way... _Shiver thought wistfully, adding a silent prayer. _Oh, StarClan what do I do now?_

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**Weell... that took much much longer than I had hoped. But... oh well! The important thing is that I got it done, right?**

**Alright! So Summer is having FIVE KITS. WOW! That's a lot. Now, I'm going to have some requirements though for kit submissions. I need 3 or them to be toms. Remember, this works on a first-come first-serve basis, so if you want a kit, I would hurry up and review! Oh, and please keep in mind that I will not accept your kits if they have a very bizarre description like 'blue undercoat with black overcoat that gives her pelt a dark blueish tint in the moonlight.' I'm sorry, but that is just crazy, impossible, and complicated. Thanks!**

**~Flamesong**


	17. Chapter 13

**Wow guys! I really appreciate all the reviews and faves! ^^ IT'S AWESOME! 3 Anyway, I will be posting up the new allegiance page soon after the 14th chapter. But for now, we shall get back to the story. ;D**

**Disclaimer: No. I do not own warriors. If you wish I owned warriors... you're awesome... sadly that ain't comin true anytime soon. At all.**

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Chapter 13

Shiver watched intently as Stormy and Smoke worked together to hunt down a fox that the masters thought to be roaming their land. Every hair on Shiver's pelt bristled from the cold as well as the fear of the fox. _And just what do they think will happen when we find the fox? Will it run away? Of course not! It'll probably eat us all in three gulps. Maybe two. _Shiver's tail lashed angrily as she stalked along behind her little trainees, scenting the air carefully. She could smell fox all right. The scent was everywhere as if a hundred foxes had played tag all across the plains. The bitter scent stung the three cats' noses and made their eyes water.

Stormy, who had a particularly sharp nose had her jaws parted, drinking in the air. "This way." She mewed confidently, throwing her sleek gray head and prancing lightly away. Stormy was quite a care-free cat. She rarely rebelled against the masters and had only two scars. One on the tip of her tail, and one on her nose. "I can smell the old meat it was carrying."

Smoke nodded and followed. "I don't understand why it didn't just catch something fresh instead of eating a rabbit dead from disease." She wrinkled up her nose in disgust.

Shiver huffed a sigh and bounded after the younger cats. "Be careful!" She called "We don't want it to come out and surprise us. Keep your nose up for fresh scents, not old ones."

While the two siblings sniffed around some fox scat they had found, Shiver narrowed her eyes and stared up at the sky. The color seemed to have been drained from the world ever since leaf-bare hit. The sun almost never shone down on the plains, reflecting off of the stalks and lighting the area to gold. Now, the sky was a slate-gray filled with dirty clouds, not even close to white. Slush clumped around the dry, dead stalks and left muddy patches in the ground. Higher places, with no slush, were cracked and dry as if they were skin without moisture.

A slight yowl brought Shiver back from her thoughts. "I found it! I found its den!" Smoke chirped loudly.

Shiver cringed at her voice. "Hush!" She hissed, skidding over to the gray, ginger, and white she-kit. "Do you want it to hear you and come eat us all?" Smoke's green eyes went wide and she shook her head hastily. "Then keep your voice down." Smoke nodded quickly.

"Do you think it's home?" Stormy's nose twitched slightly as she snuffed at the ground around an old badger set that smelled as if it had been doused in a lake of fox fur. "The scent doesn't smell too fresh."

Shiver paced forward and took a good sniff around the den. "No." She stated, sure of herself. "It's not home. But it might get back soon. It was probably just out for a hunt. We should get back and tell the masters."

Smoke nodded, obviously still a little frightened at the possibility of being eaten by a fox.

Just then, Stormy's indigo eyes went wide and she gasped. "Shiver! Look!" Shiver swung around fearfully. She blinked in fear as she recognized the heavy, rustic scent of fox swirling toward them on an icy winter wind. A huge reddish shape appeared at the top of the hill, it's nose twitching as it discovered the fresh scent of cats. It snarled, amber eyes gleaming.

"Run!" Shiver screeched, tail fluffing out to twice its size. The fox came trotting down the hill, yipping and growling at the felines. Stormy and Smoke took off sprinting ans Shiver followed, relieved that she didn't have any recent injuries that would slow her down. Smoke, on the other hand had a huge gash on her flank that was just beginning to heal.

But she didn't have time to think about that, because in an instant the fox was bearing down on them, slowly closing the gap. Shiver looked up in helpless fear, realizing that they would be mauled long before they neared the mansion. Her eyes darted around, searching desperately for somewhere to hide or take shelter. She couldn't even feel the burning in her muscles as she urged herself to go faster. She spotted the swam almost immediately. The Blood Tree. They could climb the Blood Tree.

"This way!" She yowled over the deafening breeze in her ears. She veered to the side of Smoke and gently guided her to the right, Stormy following her lead. The fox's angry growls were close behind and Shiver didn't dare look back as they streaked across the plains, dead stalks quivering in their wake. Their tails streamed out behind them and the wind, which seemed to suddenly grow stronger, plastering their pelts to their sides and making the sounds of the fox dwindle, but they knew it was still behind them and getting closer. Soon enough, Shiver could feel its jaws snip at the fur on her tail. She yowled and sprang forward, the long run beginning to tire her. Smoke's face was twisted in pain as the gash on her flank was re-opened and Stormy's eyes were wide with wild fear.

The swamp loomed just ahead and Shiver was starting to feel light-headed with exhaustion, though adrenaline kept her paws moving as quick as lightning. They reached the swamp and their pace slowed slightly as the mud stuck up in their pads, making it harder to run. The fox seemed to have no trouble at all as it came closer and closer, no longer having to lung to nip at the cat's pelts. It managed to give Stormy a scratch on here flank, but not much more. Shiver felt a rush of hope as they neared the Blood Tree clearing. They burst into the swampy clearing and struck out towards the Blood Tree.

"Climb it!" Shiver yowled, picking up her tired pace. At that moment, all hope vanished as Smoke stumbled straight into a deep mud hole. "Smoke!" Shiver screeched, skidding away as the fox's jaws snapped behind her. "Stormy! Get her out while I distract the fox!" Stormy could only nod and streak over to Smoke who was floundering helplessly in the mud.

"Hey fluff brain!" Shiver panted, squaring her shoulders towards the fox as it stalked toward Smoke and Stormy. She rushed forward and nipped the fox's heel without thinking and whirled back around, streaking away. The adrenaline pumping through her veins made her almost forget the danger she was in. The fox yipped and trotted toward Shiver arrogantly, its jaw swinging side to side, tongue lolling. Shiver kept on her toes, dodging from this side to that as the fox struck at her with its pointed muzzle. Smoke was almost out of the mud, her hindquarters still completely submerged. The fox snapped at Shiver again, this time it caught her leg. Shiver yowled as she was lifted off the ground, the scene blurring before her icy eyes.

Yellow eyes grew wide with horror but immediately returned to their usual expression, hard and full of cruel hatred. "I better go help her." He growled, making it sound like a chore.

"No. Stay here." Another tom hissed. The yellow-eyed tom clenched his jaw, but sat back again, curling his tail over his paws. The tip of his tail twitching in anticipation and worry.

Shiver felt the fox's sharp teeth against her leg and a sudden rush of fury drowned out the pain. She swung her body around by the leg the fox had in its jaws and quickly found the fox's muzzle. She latched her claws into it, digging deeply. The fox yelped in pain, dropping Shiver's leg. Shiver pulled her hind legs up and secured them with her claws dug into flesh. The fox tossed its head, throwing Shiver and sending blood flying through the air. Shiver landed awkwardly and scrambled quickly to her paws, eyes flashing around the clearing, quicker than lightning. Almost immediately they found the sticks; peeled of their bark and sharpened to a deadly point. They were probably made of pine or birch, but from the shade of red blood had turned them, you would have assumed they were made out of cherry wood.

Shiver grabbed up a stick in her jaws and faced that fox sideways, icy eyes narrowed in concentration, searching for the perfect spot... The fox shook its head, scarlet droplets spattering the ground. Its vision tinged with the crimson of blood in its eyes, it spotted Shiver and leaped toward her, jaws open wide. Shiver tried desperately not to back away and instead, braced herself and tilted the spike up toward the fox's descending mouth of fangs. As the fox's mouth fell right onto the stick, Shiver closed her eyes, feeling warm blood drip into her mouth. The fox didn't utter a sound and crashed to the ground. Shiver opened her eyes, amazed at what she had done. The spike was driven into the back of the fox's throat and blood was dripping down the stick and into Shiver's jaws where she was holding it. She spat the salty blood out and stalked over to the fox, knowing the job wasn't finished just yet.

"Are you sure about this?" Those two yellow eyes narrowed themselves, peering through thick reeds. The black tail twitched again.

"Of course."

"Are you positive she'll agree?"

No answer. The yellow eyes looked to the side and then down. _I know she won't. She's not that kind of cat._

"May StarClan have mercy on your soul." Shiver breathed into the fox's ear. Then she raised a paw and brought it down across the fox's throat. Blood burbled out of the gaping wound and the fox began to drown in its own blood. Shiver raised her head and looked around for Stormy and Smoke. The two siblings were perched in the Blood Tree like owls. Their backs were arched and every hair on their pelts were on end. Their ears were flat against their heads and their eyes were as huge as mice.

"You guys all right?" Shiver mewed, spiting the last of the fox's blood onto the marshy ground.

"Y-y-yes..." Smoke managed to stammer. Her pelt was coated in wet, dripping mud.

The dead reeds suddenly rustled around the clearing and Shiver, still on full alert, swung around, expecting another fox. Instead, what she saw both confused, and infuriated her. "What are **you **doing here?!" She hissed, eyes filling with a hateful, piercing stare.

Sheek padded casually into the clearing, followed by Lightning. "Following you of course." He snarled with a sly grin. "Do you really think we would let you go out and just romp around without watching you?"

Shiver wasn't fooled by the smirk spread across Lightning's face. She saw his eyes dart to the dead fox and back to her shimmering white pelt, now flecked with crimson. "I could have gotten killed by that fox!" She screeched in disbelief. "And you didn't raise a claw to help?!"

Sheek glanced over at the fox, uninterested. Shiver didn't follow his gaze, she kept her icy eyes trained on his twitching ears. Suddenly, Sheek lifted his head. "We need to have a word with you." Then he stood and whipped around, tail high. His head turned back for a moment, lips curled back. "Get down from the Blood Tree you useless scum."

Stormy and Smoke hurtled down the tree, staying far away from the dead fox. Lightning sniffed, eying Shiver carefully and then bringing up the rear as the troop headed back to the mansion.

****_later_****

"You what?!" Shiver's icy blue eyes were open wide with shock, despite her exhaustion.

Sheek growled, annoyed at having to repeat himself.. "We want you to become a lower master. That means you are above the slaves, but still have to take orders from the higher masters."

Shiver's jaws were parted slightly and she blinked slowly, making sure she wasn't dreaming. Suddenly, rage welled up inside of her, pushing at her chest and making her squint. Thoughts of Bristle, Stormspirit, Razor, and Summerpaw crashed together violently. "I hate you." She spat, making Sheek and Lightning turn their heads in surprise. It was almost pitch black in Sheek's den so that all the cats could see very well of each other were glowing eyes and Shiver's were especially vivid against the darkness. Shiver's voice was low and tense. "You torture me, leave me with scars, force me to hunt with you, sell my brother and rape my cage mate, and now you expect me to side with **you**?!"

Lightning rolled his eyes. "Told you." He muttered under his breath.

Sheek glared at Shiver, his amber gaze hard and expressionless. "We knew you were worthy from the very beginning." His growl came quiet. "Why do you think we didn't sell you to that tom who sold us Lily? Why do you think we bothered giving you all those kits to train? Why do you think we let Jade patch you up?" His voice was louder now. "Why do you think we haven't given you a mate?!"

Shiver didn't flinch. "I don't care." Her gaze stayed the same, unblinking and steady, filled with horrible, piercing hatred. "I hate you with every ounce of my being." Her voice shook slightly with quiet rage. "You are horrible. Horrible. Horrible monsters. You don't care about anyone or anything. You wouldn't have cared if that fox mauled me and then left me there for dead. You raped Summer and Storm without batting an eye. You have no hearts. And if you do, they must be turned black and dead because you don't love anyone."

Lightning felt his heart sink at the truthfulness of Shiver's words. His heart was black. He didn't love anyone... except her... At that, a tiny splinter of warm red clashed against the darkness of Lightning's cold heart.

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**OH MY GOSH. THAT WAS THEEEEEE BEST CHAPTER EEEEVEEER! I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING IT!!!!! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!!!! THAT WAS HONESTLY, I THINK, ONE OF MY BEST CHAPPIES. I'M SORRY BUT I LUV THE END SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! Okay I'm gunna clam down now... XD**

**Okay, so I have all the kits I need! Thanks you guys! I really like all of them... So, please no more submissions! Though... I honestly don't mind if you give me ideas for characters... ^^**

**~Flamesong  
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	18. Chapter 14

**M'kay! So this chapter is going to introduce a TON of new charries! The kits and a mystery character! ^^ The idea for this new 'mystery' character came from winterkitten. Let us all give winterkitten a round of epic applause for this BRILLIANT idea! *applauds***

**Disclaimer- 'mystery charrie' is owned by winterkitten. Warriors is owned by Erin Hunter.**

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Chapter 14

Shiver laid in her cage, head on her paws, eyes narrowed in thought. Her ears laid back against her head and her tail twitched every so often. She had gotten a good swipe over the ear from Lightning, though it really wasn't done wholeheartedly. She had a set of four raw scratches on her right ear though barely any blood flowed. There were bags under her eyes because she hadn't slept all night wondering about that 'lower master' job and what would have happened if she had excepted. She had come to the conclusion that she would have hated it. She would have probably been forced to hurt those she loved and felt guilty about getting more food than them. No. She could have never been a lower master.

"Shiver!"

The silvery she-cat raised her head. She was beginning to look full grown; her fur sleek against her delicate and agile frame. She flicked an ear at Razor who jumped into the cage and laid her head back on her paws, staring through the cage bars as Shard slammed the door.

"Well what's wrong with you miss sour puss?" Razor mewed, grinning and poking Shiver in the side.

"Nothing." Shiver growled slightly, batting Razor's paw away.

Razor furrowed his brow up, the little white outlines around his eyes scrunching up with worry. He stretched out beside his adopted sister, his rustic pelt touching hers and his tail curling up over his back. "Now really, what's wrong?" He mewed seriously, staring at her distant icy eyes.

Shiver sighed and shook her head. "Nothing Razor... it's nothing..."

"I'm serious!" He mewed, golden eyes glaring.

"Well there's nothing wrong." Shiver mewed with a forced flow of calm. "There is nothing wrong. I'm just a slave living a slave's life. Being tortured, hunting day and night, waiting for some master to come along and rape me like all the other she-cats my age." She curled her lip back, knowing she was lying. They wouldn't rape her. At least Sheek wouldn't let them.

Razor shook his head, smiling slightly. "If anyone tries to rape you, they'll die trying."

"Razor. Honestly. I'm really not that tough. I may act like it, but I'm not." Shiver sighed, feeling odd exposing her softer side.

"Who says I was talking about you." Razor mewed nonchalantly.

Shiver narrowed her eyes at him in confusion. "Who else would you be talking about?"

"Me."

Shiver sat in silence for a moment, letting his protective words sink in. She had hoped to say something that made him think the same thing, but right then, all she could come up with was a shy, "Thanks."

***_later***_

_"I wonder if he really meant that... Maybe it's just my imagination that he said it... so it sounds like he cares about me _more _than just a sister..._" Shiver's thoughts seemed to wander anywhere except where they were suppose to be.

"Shiver! Get your air-head out of the clouds!" Shard's dark blue eyes glinted, tail lashing.

Shiver shook her head to clear it and curled her tail around her paws. "I'd rather be an air-head in the clouds than a smart slave cat in an old torn-down twoleg nest."

Sheek gave Shard a hard glare before the angry tom could open his mouth again. "We do not bicker here. And when we punish, we punish with actions, not words." His snarl sent Shard's eyes to his paws.

Shiver continued glaring at Shard until Sheek spoke again. "Shiver, Hawk, and Night, you will be going with Ember and Shard to fetch some... things... from an old friend. If you disobey them or disrespect any cat in any way, you can expect to go to the Blood Tree when you return." His dark amber eyes glared in the shadows that seemed to seep out of his den and onto the bookcase he was seated on. He fixed all three slaves with a hard stare before flicking his tail and disappearing into his den.

"Hawk and Night, you two will carry the payment items. If you drop them, I'll claw your ears off." Shard nodded at two massive sacks, throwing Shiver a glance that just dared her to challenge him. Shiver bit her tongue back, blood trickling down her throat from her sharp white teeth.

Night grabbed one of the bulking sacks and Hawk helped her heave it over her back so it didn't touch the ground. Night blinked at Hawk in thanks and flicked her black tail at Shiver. Shiver nodded and helped Hawk heft his own bag over his white furred back. The two younger cats toddled slowly towards the door under the weight. Shiver told herself that if either of them began to slip, she would catch the bag no matter what.

Shard led the group out of the mansion, Ember taking up from behind to keep an eye on the slaves. Ember nipped at Hawk's heels, making him move faster under the weight. The young tom's golden eyes shone in effort to keep the sack up. As often as she could, Shiver flicked her tail down in front of Hawk's heels and Ember would get a mouthful of white fur.

"Oops, sorry." She smiled apologetically. Ember snarled and told her to keep walking.

They wound down through the plains and over past the forest, carefully keeping their distance. Shiver suspected that they did that because the forest most likely belonged to ThunderClan and RiverClan. She smiled to herself, throwing a sideways glance at Night to see how she was fairing. They traveled off toward the white winter sun as it slowly descended from its perch at the very top of the sky. Hawk almost lost his burden at one point, but quickly recovered with a simple steadying from Shiver. Ember glared furiously at Shiver, but said nothing. Ember could be a pushover sometimes.

The golden stalks around them thinned and soon they were walking across dry, cracked ground with a few clumps of dead grass and tumbleweeds held in place with bits of slush clinging to the browned branches. They soon came to a wide dusty trail that smelled wretched.

"What is that awful scent?" Night exclaimed, wrinkling her nose up in distaste. "It's so gross!"

As if to answer her question, a rumbling sounded in the distance and Hawk's tail shot up in alarm. Shard rolled his eyes as the sound grew closer. Shiver crouched down to the ground, eyes wide in fright as a giant shiny creature hurtled past them on black paws that moved so fast, they blurred. Hawk and Night quivered in fear, watching the huge creature. Soon it was gone, leaving a putrid stench that made Shiver's eyes water.

"That was a monster you little fleabags!" Shard sneered. "It never goes off the thunderpath!" He flicked his thick white tail at the huge, worn down trail in front of them. "Most thunderpaths are made of black rock. But monsters hardly ever cross this one." Then he flicked his ears up and padded quickly across the trail without hesitation. Hawk and Night exchanged nervous glances and followed. Shiver listened carefully before darting across the path, shaking her pelt as she arrived on the other side. Ember rolled his eyes and padded calmly across.

They traveled on, and what seemed like days later, Shiver found herself walking amid piles of shiny, broken, and bent twoleg stuff, like what the cages was made of, except for rusty and mangled. Night and Hawk had managed to not drop either of the sacks, but both were extremely tired. But as they wandered through what twolegs would call a junk yard, they suddenly seemed to forget their weariness and looked around curiously with bright eyes. Shiver's stomach clenched in a sharp stinging hunger. She hadn't eaten since yesterday. Hopefully wherever they were going, they would be able to eat.

"Here we are." Shard announced, coming to a halt in the center of the heaps of twoleg stuff.

Shiver glanced at Shard, wondering if he was hallucinating from the heat. "Uh, if you hadn't noticed, we aren't _anywhere_."

Ember rolled his eyes. "Of course we are you mangy low-life." He cuffed Shiver over the ear, leaving a trickle of blood to drip into her eye. "We're at the Monster Grave." He gestured with his tail towards a pipe sticking out of what looked to be a very rust monster without paws or a stomach; just the outer shell.

Shiver sniffed the air towards the pipe and grimaced. It smelled of monsters and the stinging smell of smoke. Now that she thought about it, she had seen several things that looked as if they could be parts of monsters. Her tail flicked uneasily. She was standing admist body parts of a horrible monster...

"Put the sacks down." Shard hissed at Night and Hawk. "And follow me. Don't say anything unless you are spoken directly to." He said it to all three slaves, but as he said it, he fixed Shiver with a hard glare. He turned slowly and let out a loud meow into the pipe. The noise echoed back toward them.

"Coming!" A rough voice mewed. Strangely, the voice was kind and sounded as if it had once added a beautiful quality to the cat that owned it. A pretty tortie she-cat stepped out of the pipe a few heartbeats later. She had longer fur and several scars on her paws. There were even a few spots with no fur. She also had a deep V in one of her ears. She looked at Shard with hard steely blue-gray eyes that reminded Shiver of the stream at night when the moon reflected off of it. "Shard. Ember." She flicked her tail in greeting, head high.

Ember flicked his ear in response and Shard dipped his head. "Angel." Shard mewed.

"I'm terribly sorry I couldn't come deliver my crafts myself, but I've been busier than a pack rat lately." Angel meowed, her whiskers twitching. "Now, tell me who you have brought with you this time. Last time, you said you were selling all of your slaves."

Ember nodded. "Sheek decided to take up the business again."

"This," Shard mewed, throwing a hard glare at Shiver, "Is one of our first raised from kithood. She's my daughter, Shiver. We stole her mother. Her name is Storm."

Shiver glared at Angel with a hard, unwavering gaze. She didn't speak, just like Shard told her too, but her eyes said it all. She wouldn't put up with anything from Angel, and she was letting her know that now.

"She's quite a pretty one." Angel mewed, not even flinching at Shiver's icy eyes. "And who are these? Your kits too?"

"Yes." Shard nodded, smiling. "This is Hawk, and this is Night."

Angel nodded and turned without another word. She flicked her tail for them to follow. Shard led them all into the strange place. Shiver felt a wave of head blow over her as she entered the den and she clenched her teeth as the warmth brought the horrible scents. The pipe was cold against her paws and her whiskers brushed against the side of the pipe, guiding her aroud a strangely sharp corner and out of the pipe. She looked around, eyes wide. She was standing inside of the monster shell. Shadows danced across the inside of the monster, the light coming from seemingly in the center of the den. Shiver peered at a huge bucket-like thing with a hole in the side of it. To her surprise, there was fire contained inside of that bucket. There were strange holes a few feet above them that had clear, jagged edges. But what made Shiver even more curious were the many strange tools hanging on what looked like leashes. The leashes were attached to the spiked edges of the holes. One was short and had a flat end. Another was long with a branch-like end and a metal end with one sharp side. Yet another was very long with a hooked tip going off to one side, and a straight spike going out from the other side.

Angel loped over to the side of the den and pulled some very strange thing off of the shell of the monster. It was flat and had a skinny hole in the middle filled with translucent material. It had a rope-like thing attached to each side of it and met in the back. Now, to twolegs, this would look like a very strange version of eye protection. But to Shiver, it was the most foreign thing she had ever seen in her life. Angel set the strange thing on the ground and put one forepaw on it. She pulled the rope-like thing back with her muzzle and used her other forepaw to hold it there. She then slipped the rope around the back of her head and sat back on her hind paws, pushing the metal part down over her eyes. Shiver blinked in awe.

Angel peered into the fire and made an odd clicking noise with her tongue. Then she grabbed the very end of a long rod sticking out of the fire bucket and resting on a stand, her face blurring behind the air that shimmered with intense heat. Her jaws must have been very strong, for she maneuvered the long metal rod perfectly and soon began backing away from the fire, muscles rippling under her pelt as she pulled an orange, glowing piece of metal onto the fire. She pushed her mask up with a paw and set the metal rod on the ground. She carefuly examined the glowing metal and nodded in satisfaction. Grabbing the flat-ended tool by the rounded end, she began pounding the glowing metal with the tool, bending it with strong, steady blows. Shard smiled admiringly at Angel. He obviously had a liking for strong she-cats.

Angel set her tools down and pulled her mask off. "Sorry," She smiled, mewing in her gravelly voice. "I had to get that out of the fire before it melted completely." Smoke billowed out of the top of the fire-bucket and was whisked out of the holes by a breeze. No wonder Angel's voice was so rough. She spent all day in a monster filled with smoke. That could deffinitely give you a sore throat after a while. Shiver's nose was already starting to sting from the scent.

"I have your product stored in a different den." Angel mewed while busily putting her tools away. "Follow me." She padded back towards the place we had come in. For the first time, Shiver noticed not one, but three pipes. They had come in the middle one. Angel led them down the one to the left. The scent of the fire grew less as they padded down the tunnel, though the monster scent remained. They immerged into another monster shell, except for the holes did not have jagged clear edges. They were completely covered by the clear material. All around the den sat the weirdest devices Shiver had ever seen. Suddenly, she realized what some of them were. Torture devices, just like the ones at Blood Tree. Her jaw tightened as her eyes traveled over the machines, slightly fearful of the way they shone dully.

Angel led them over to a smaller device that leaned against the wall. It looked similar to the tool she had used to pound against the metal. "Here you are." She grunted, dropping the thing in front of them. "Is it good?"

Ember studied it for a moment before nodding. "Perfect. Sheek sends his thanks."

Angel smiled. "Good! I take pride in my customers' satisfaction." Then she set two more that had been leaning against the wall next to the other one.

"Shiver, you carry these." Shard ordered, smirking. Shiver rolled her eyes and picked the three of them in her jaws, the weight on one side making her slightly unbalanced.

Angel nodded to Shiver and then led the group back up the pipe and out the other, back into the fresh outdoor air. Shiver breathed deeply through her nose, glad for the fresh air.

"Payment?" Shard mewed expectantly, flicking his tail toward the two heaping sacks. "We brought just about everything."

"Um..." Angel mewed thoughtfully. Shiver thought that her voice sounded as if she had a very sore throat. "I'll take twelve reeds, three rabbits and... how about a dog tooth?"

Shiver blinked, her blood running cold. A dog tooth? She knew what a dog was, and never wanted to encounter one, much less take out its tooth.

Shard dipped his head. "Of course," and turned to Ember expectantly. Ember nosed around in a sack and pulled out three rabbits and a dog tooth. It was sharp and glowed dully in the light. Then he went to the other sack and retrieved twelve reeds.

Angel smiled. "Wonderful!" She mewed, leaning over to inspect the dog tooth. "I've been needing something small and sharp to ingrave what I want on my products." She straightened up, steely eyes unchanging. "Thank you gentletoms, for your business. I'll be making my usual rounds next season, early newleaf."

Shard smiled. "No, thank you. You are always most helpful!" He dipped his head.

"Alright then Shard, get out of here." Angel rolled her eyes. "I have a lot of work to do." She glared momentarily before picking up the reeds and whisking down into the pipe, disappearing with a flick of her black-tipped tail.

Ember grinned at Shard. "C'mon lover boy." He purred. "You know she's never going to go for you!"

Shard sighed and shook his head. "I know, but it sure would be nice to have mate that actually chooses you and is equal in strength and quality..." Ember didn't reply, but instead nodded to Hawk and Night, who quickly shouldered the sacks. Then they all wove back through the piles of mangles monsters, away from the setting sun.

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**Well... that took me a while... but I suppose it was worth it... though it wasn't the greatest chapter of all time... Anyway, it was probably one of the longest chapters I've written! About 3,000 words! :) Well, school's almost over so I should be able to crank out these chapters more quickly. ONLY ONE MORE DAY AND TWO MORE FINALS!**

**~Flamesong**


	19. Chapter 15

**FINALLY! SCHOOL IS OVER AND DONE! *cheers crazily* My algebra final was a breeze, and physics wasn't too bad... Goodness gracious... it doesn't feel like summer.... ACK! ONLY THREE MONTHS UNTIL I'M A.... *gasps* SOPHOMORE! *faints***

**Disclaimer: I duz not own warriors. Not even one teeny little bit... though there's not too much about warriors in this story yet...**

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**Chapter 15**

Razor's head jerked up at the loud click of a cage door being opened. Shiver immediately sat up, smoothing her pelt down from their playfight. "Come on." A dark, gruff voice mewed.

Shiver listened carefully and scented the air. Ember was taking Summer from her cage. Jade was with them, murmuring softly to Summer. "Summer's going into labor." Shiver whispered to Razor, ears pricked.

Robin was suddenly in front of them, undoing the latch at lightning speed. "You two, go get what Jade asks for. Now!" She hissed at them as soon as the lock was undone.

Razor bounded out of the cage, Shiver right on his tail. Jade was waiting by the door, looking flustered. She smiled slightly as the two slaves padded up to her. "Alright guys. This is going to be a lot of work. Ember just took Summer to the center room for the kitting and then naming. We've got five kits coming, so this is going to be a lot of work. We'll need lots of water, almost constantly, and ferns as well as moss and plenty of herbs. First, go get the water. You'll have to figure out how you're going to do that, because I have to get to the center room." With that, Jade quickly stood up and slipped down the hall.

A light winter breeze ruffled their fur as they stepped out onto the plains. Razor sniffed around, trying to think how they would find moss, ferns, or anything else at this time of year. Shiver thought for a moment. "What if..." She paused to think again. "What if we could find something like a leaf to carry the water back in. But stronger..."

Razor nodded, rusty tail flicking anxiously in the cold air. "Like something from over there?" He swivled his ears toward a little pile of twoleg junk off to the side of the mansion. Shiver padded lightly over to the pile of scraps and began looking the pieces over.

"Look..." She mewed, grabbing hold of an odd object. "What about this?" She tugged the thing from the bottom of the pile. It was slightly crushed and reminded her of the thing that held the fire in Angel's den. If it could hold fire... could it hold water? Razor studied it carefully. It was somewhat like a hollow log with one end covered firmly.

"That's amazing!" Razor exclaimed, amber eyes lighting up against the bleak winter sky. Shiver ducked her head sheepishly and quickly began making the trip down to the small stream. Razor stared after her a moment before following. "Hey, wait up!"

Shiver slowed down, but didn't look back. Razor trotted along side her and the two were silent for a moment in the frigid winter morning. The white rays of sun peeked through whisps of clouds that tumbled across the horizon like leaves. Shiver plodded along quietly, studying the trees far off in the distance. She felt a sudden lump in her stomach. She wasn't sure why, but she had suddenly been attacked with a surge of emotion. She blinked a sigh back and looked down at the container she was holding in her jaws. Razor stared at Shiver for a moment and then shook his head, looking away.

"Shiver?" He mewed, eyes set on the stream that was slowly getting closer. When she gave no response, he continued. "Why?"

Shiver glanced at him questioningly when he didn't add anything else. "Why what?" She mumbled around the metal.

"Why do you always get that hopeless look in your eye when you're around me?"

The question made Shiver stop in her tracks. Then she shook her head and kept padding on. "I guess... It's cause I'm afraid of what might happen before we get the chance to escape... what if you get sold?"

"Oh..." Razor murmured.

"What?" Shiver looked at him with a gentle, questioning gaze.

"I just though that maybe you were thinking something else."

"Like what?" Shiver could feel her heartbeat quicken and she willed for him to say something more.

"Oh, I dunno..." He sighed, shrugging slightly.

"Oh." Shiver bit down a little harder on the metal, cursing herself for not saying what she had really thought.

They reached the stream and Shiver gave the twoleg thing to Razor, their eyes meeting momentarily before Shiver looked away. Razor leaned over the icy water rippling with current and dipped the twoleg metal thing into the stream. Shiver watched his rusty pelt, fluffed up against the cold, ripple just like the water over his strong build. She hadn't really thought about it much before, but he was much bigger than she. His shoulders were broader and her paws looked so delicate next to his. She smiled softly, icy eyes dancing with mixed emotion. What she lacked in size, she made up for in fight, and Razor knew that. She averted her gaze to the sky, eyes reflecting the white light of the sun.

Razor turned and set the thing down, filled with water. He looked over at the mansion, which he was sure was filled with chaos by now. He smiled slyly. "Shiver..." He whispered, eyes glinting. "You know something?"

"What?" Shiver looked over to him.

"We could escape right now. Just disappear into the forest." He smiled in delight, padding over to Shiver slowly. "They'd never know we'd gone." Shiver followed his gaze into the forest, smiling just slightly. Razor continued as Shiver rested her head on his shoulder. "It would be just you and me. We could find RiverClan and become warriors together." The way he said warriors made it seem so magical and surreal. Shiver wondered if there was more that he had left unsaid.

She blinked sadly. "But we can't leave just yet." She sighed. "What would happen to Stormspirit? Bristle? Summerpaw and her kits?"

Razor smiled knowingly, shaking his head. "I know. But it's still a nice dream..."

Shiver swallowed hard as the moment passed. She helped Razor lift the bucket and padded slowly back to the mansion, weighed down by much more than just the heavy water. In fact, the water felt light compared to her heart.

_***later***_

A loud yowl brought the attention of all the cats to Sheek. Summerpaw lay at the base of the couch, looking absolutely exhausted. There were five tiny bundles of fur kneading at her belly with little paws. "Silence!" Sheek yowled, glaring down from the top of the sofa. All of the gathered slaves and masters became quiet. "Today, Summer has brought us five healthy kits. Jade, have you found who the father is?"

All eyes turned to Jade. "Not yet Sheek. I have not had a chance to look at them yet. I think we will all know the father for sure by the time their eyes are opened though."

Sheek nodded and turned to the crowd. "We have decided the names, and have also decided that since the father must be a master, one of these kits will become a master." He turned to Jade and flicked his tail at the kits. "Bring them up."

Jade brought the kits forward, one at a time, and set them at the foot of the couch. Sheek bounded down onto the seat of the sofa and gazed down at the kits, dark amber eyes looking more brown than ever in the pale winter light. "This one," he mewed, flicking his tail at a little golden tabby she-cat, "will be called Myth." The little she-kit mewled loudly, raising her head. That brought a few chuckles from the crowd and an interested look from Sheek. Jade smiled, picking Myth up and placing her back beside her mother.

"This one will be Owl." Sheek mewed loudly, touching a dark brown tom-kit with his tail. The little kit had a few grayish smears in his pelt. Jade then lifted the kit up and back to his mother.

Sheek stared down at a solid black tom and mewed, "This will be Shadow." The kit was one of the largest, next to a black and white tom. Jade swept the tom back over to Summer.

"She shall be called Sky..." She mewed gruffly, nodding at a mottled gray, brown, and black she-kit. The little kit raised her tail as Jade picked her up and squeaked slightly.

"The last one," Sheek continued, "is Twist." He nodded down at the huge black and white tom. Then, something odd happened. As Sheek uttered the kit's new name, the little tom looked out toward the crowd and slowly blinked his eyes open. Jade held her breath as she saw the kit look over at her, letting out a little mew. The cats became silent.

"No kit has ever opened their eyes the day they were born..." Jade murmured in awe. She carefully examined the kit's eyes. They were a rare dark goldish brown. "Sheek." She whispered, staring at the kit still. Then she stood and faced the other cats. "The kits are Sheek's."

Sheek stared down at his kit, ears twitching as all eyes fell on him. He studied Twist's eyes for another moment before raising his head in a proud manner. "I have decided." He mewed loudly. "Twist shall become a master."

A murmur started through the crowd as Jade carefully gave Twist back to Summer. It was rumored that Sheek hadn't had a single kit since he fathered Lightning with a rogue long ago. Lightning stared at his new family with a slight smile in his eyes. He, too, had opened his eyes right after his birth. That's what made him Sheek's true kit.

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**YAYNESSS! DE KITS ARE FINALLY HERE! I decided that they would be Sheek's as soon as I saw all the reviews. There were TONS of submissions of kits with brown eyes! And Sheek has very dark brownish-amber eyes.**

**~Flamesong**


	20. Allegiances 4

**Hey guys! Thanks for the kits! They're all awesome. Great names too! Now, I'm going to try to get the other slaves more involved because I haven't really done that... And I really need too...**

**Disclaimer- Shadow was created by Spottedpaw13, Owl was created by Meadowpaw, Twist was created by Peace-Dog, Sky by Jadegaze, and Myth by Hawksky. Oh! And can't forget the great idea from winterkitten! The whole idea behind Angel belongs to winterkitten. And, of course, I don't own Warriors. ^^**

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**

Allegiances

**Masters**

Sheek- slick tortie tom with long, sharp claws and an oily pelt; as well as extremely dark amber eyes, almost brown (current mate- Summer) (kits- Twist, Owl, Shadow, Sky, Myth)

Lightning- gaunt, but strong smoky black tabby tom with pale amber eyes

Shard- pure white tom with dark blue eyes and long, slick fur (permanent mate- Storm) (kits- Stormy, Smoke, Night, Hawk)

Ember- fluffy, dark ginger tom with golden eyes and a white chest (current mate- Lily) (kits- none)

Jade- elegant dark, chocolate brown tabby she-cat with dark green eyes

Robin- young, ruddy-colored she-cat with a ragged pelt and dark blue-indigo eyes

Twist- black and white tuxedo tom with brown-gold eyes and a white smudge on his nose

**Slaves**

Storm (Stormspirit)- pretty dark gray she-cat with blue-gray eyes (permanent mate- Shard) (kits- Bristle, Stormy, Smoke, Night, Hawk)

Shiver- graceful pale silver and white she-cat with pale, ice blue eyes

Razor- rusty ginger tom with bright amber eyes

Stormy- sleek, black she-cat with dark indigo eyes

Smoke- dark gray she-cat with a white underbelly and dark ginger paws and tail tip; green eyes

Night- pure black she-cat with dark amber eyes

Hawk- white tom with bright amber eyes

Summer (Summerpaw)- pale golden tabby she-cat with dark gray eyes and a longish pelt (current mate- Sheek)(kits- Owl, Shadow, Twist, Sky, Myth)

Lily- silky cream-colored she-cat with green eyes (current mate- Ember) (kits- none)

Talon- golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Jet- gray tortie tom with silvery eyes

Shadow- sleek black tom with green eyes

Owl- dark brown tom with white flecks and gray eyes

Sky- mottled brown, gray, and black she-cat with amber-flecked brown eyes

Myth- golden tabby she-cat with glowing amber eyes

**Other**

Larkfeather- captivating gray tabby she-cat, slightly dappled with white; icy blue eyes

Angel (Angel of Steel)- long-furred tortie-- mainly ginger with gold and black splotches; steely gray-blue eyes and heavily scarred paws

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_**PLEASE READ:**_

**I'm going to change up the rules about submitting charries. Okay, I LOVE it when you submit charries! I don't care if I've asked for them or not! I don't care if it's future kits or some other random charrie you have an idea for! Just please try to limit yourself to three charries a chapter! XD Anyway, as far as kits go, I won't just accept your kits if I haven't asked for them yet. So if you already submitted some kits for Robin or even Shiver's future kits, please know that I have read them over, and am keeping them in mind, though I will not use them if you don't repost them after I actually ask you for kits. This gives others a chance to get their kits in the story. Also, I've decided that I will accept more than one kit per person, but not in the same litter and I will try to get those who have not gotten their kit in the story before first. If I accidentally skip over you, and use someone's kit who already has a kit in the story, please don't get mad at me! Send me a PM or review, asking me to look into it. I'll be sure to get your kit in the next litter. Thanks! **

**~Flamesong  
**


	21. Chapter 16

**Alright! Time to take a poll! Some have requested that I write longer chapters. (and not just one person either. some of my friends are bantering me about it all the time. XD) This makes me VEEERY happy! I'm glad you guys like my story and I'd be happy to write longer chapters to curb your hunger for Hidden Hope. BUT! This comes with problems. Writing longer chapters makes me more prone to... *le gasp*... writer's block... O.O Plus, it would take me longer to get the chapters out. Considering the length and writer's block... so... the question is, should I write longer chapters or not? I need your opinions!**

**Disclaimer: *yawns* Even at 8:30 in the morning, I still don't own Warriors.**

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**Chapter 16**

"Shiver?"

"Yes?"

"Why are foxes so mean?"

Shiver took a deep breath. Her patience was running low. She looked over at Owl and sat down, mewing, "I don't. Know. Maybe they're just born that way!"

"Oh..." Owl meowed quietly, blinking his gray eyes thoughfully.

Shiver let out a long stream of air, calming herself. She glanced toward the forest and then the marsh. She lifted her nose and breathed in sharply. Scents washed through her head, becoming confused with what she saw. She closed her eyes and sorted through the smells. It had been five moons since Summerpaw had her kits. Now, Shiver was beginning to form a plan in her head. It wasn't very likely to work, but she had to try, even if it got her a beating. She grinned in triumph as her eyes opened again. Lightning's scent mixed faintly with the breeze, almost completely drowned out by the scents of prey and the new, green stalks that sprung up around the golden ones. He was obviously sitting on the porch and not paying very much attention at all.

"Owl," Shiver mewed suddenly as the little tom opened his mouth to ask another question, "Do you see that forest over there?"

The small kit opened his mouth and then closed it. "Yes... what about it?"

"That's where we're going to go when we escape."

"Escape?" Owl mewed, confused.

Shiver clenched her jaws. "Do you honestly want to stay here as a slave for the rest of your life?" She snapped, leaning in a little closer, her voice barely a whisper and tense with excitement. "Don't you want freedom? The freedom to learn whatever you want. The freedom to become what you want. The freedom to choose the mate that you want."

Owl's little eyes widened at the boldness and excitement that her words brought. "Yes!" He squeaked, flecked tail quivering in aprehension.

Shiver smiled and sat back. "Of course you do. Now let's hunt."

Owl sighed, and glanced back at the forest before disappearing through the short green stalks to seek out the smell of a mouse close by, probably making a nest. Shiver darted away in the opposite direction, mind not completely on the hunt. Instead, her thoughts wandered to the forest, planning out the details of the escape.

Shiver wove around the pokey withering golden stalks, a robin clasped in her jaws as well as a small rabbit. Owl plodded along side of her, eyes watching the sky and his own catch in his mouth. Shiver dropped the last of her prey with the rest of her catch in a small pile. Owl had been slightly later in getting back and had to return to fetch the rest of his prey. Shiver sat down and curled her tail around her paws to wait for him. Her icy blue eyes gaze out across the horizon, silvery pelt glinting in the sunlight.

A deep sigh startled her and she whipped her head around, glaring. Lightning sat in the doorway of the mansion, tail brushing back and forth on the old rotting wood under his paws. He stood, stretched, and strolled over to sit behind Shiver, slightly to her side. He smiled and Shiver continued glaring at him. _He must be going insane. _She thought, rolling her eyes and looking away. _Since when does Lightning smile at me and then doesn't bash me upside the head?_

"So." Lightning's voice sounded behind her. "How's the prey running?"

That took Shiver's temper and rocketted it away to the moon. She swung around, getting to her paws. "How's the prey running?" She snarled, eyes glowing fiercely. "How's the prey running! ? Why would you care? You lazy carcasses don't even hunt for your own food, yet you expect us to catch it for you, even in the dead of winter, and you expect us to catch a **lot **just so you can waste it all and not even eat a whole piece of prey!"

When Lightning's golden gaze didn't even flicker, she gave him one last blazing cold glare before turning away sharply and sitting down with a thud, tail tip twitching irritably. The way she scowled at the expanse of land before her, a thundercloud just above her head seemed almost visible, rain pouring down and streaks of lightning sizzling the air around her. She could still feel Lightning's gaze trained on her pelt.

"I hate you." She snarled, voice barely audible. She could sense Lightning stiffen slightly and sniffed in slight satisfaction.

Lightning stood and padded over to Shiver until his whiskers brushed her ear. Shiver didn't even flinch. She just sat, staring off, glare plastered to her face. Lightning's breath against her cheek made her want to jerk away, but she remained still. "Shiver." He breath, voice seeming to float off the wind. "I don't care how many times you tell me that you hate me. I'll always love you. Always."

On the inside, the storm in Shiver crackled and tried to force its way out, angry words bubbling at the back of her throat. But on the outside, she remained still like a stone. She finally calmed the rage inside of herself and turned to face Lightning, taking a deep breath through her nose. "What is wrong with you." She mewed dully, the question sounding more like a statement.

Lightning shrugged, beaming. His dark tabby tail twitched happily. "Oh, I dunno. I guess that day that you decided to remain a slave made me realize..."

Shiver kept scowling at him. "Realize what?"

"That I really was a heartless piece of fox dung." Lightning mewed, regret edging in his words. "And that I could still be a master and owner of slaves without being that kind of self-centered idiotic brat."

Shiver could hardly believe how naive and mouse-brained he was. _No. Not mouse-brained. Brain**less**._

Shiver sighed, not even angry anymore. Instead she found herself disappointed and mournful. "You don't get it do you." She mewed calmly, though her voice was slightly bitter. "It's not about **you **or how **you **are nicer or how **you **have changed yourself. Think about _us._" The word us seemed to hang in the air. "Think about how **we **feel. Do we like being forced to hunt and mate and protect you from foxes? Nuh-uh."

Shiver shook her head, jaw set firmly as she watched grass wave farther out in the field, a dark brown shape slowly moving toward them. She stood up and began to collect her prey. Lightning sat, eyes surprised but thoughtful as he watched her pelt flutter in the breeze. She had a thought and dropped the mouse she had scooped up.

"You know what," Shiver sighed. "I'll just tell you right now. You won't tell. I'm not planning to stay here for the rest of my life. I'm going home. Back to RiverClan. Back to where my mother was killed."

That left Lightning's jaw on the floorboards. _How the heck does she know that she's from RiverClan. Much less any Clan!_ Lightning shook his head in amazement as Owl joined them and the slaves carried their catches toward the center room. Questions whirled through his mind like a hurricane as he padded after the two, eyes set on Shiver's tail raised high and flicking back and forth.

***_later_***

"Razor. Hey Razor." Shiver whispered as quietly as she could, prodding the large tom's side with a paw. Moonlight filtered in through the cage door and the sweet smell of new-leaf hung in the air, carrying sweet scents of blooming wildflowers and warm night breezes. "Razor wake up!"

Razor's broad head slowly lifted and he blinked twice, focusing his gaze. "What?" He mumbled, sleepily.

"Wanna go exploring?" She grinned with a mischevious gleam in her eyes.

"Exploring?" Razor quickly sat up, eyes suddenly bright in the shadow of their cage. "But... we can't get out..."

Shiver purred softly and cuffed him over the ear. "Silly furball." She muttered affectionately.

Razor watched with intrest as Shiver easily flicked the lock open with her tail, winding it out through the bars and pushing the little lock deftly up, right, down, right. She beamed as the door swung open without a sound. She glanced back at Razor and slid out of the cage.

Razor padded up beside her and whispered quietly, "Now that was cool."

Shiver shrugged slightly as she passed cage after cage, recognizing the cats sleeping in each cage. Hawk, Talon and Smoke shared the cage right next to them and Summerpaw and her kits were in the next one. Each cat slept peacefully, not stiring at the faint sound of Razor and Shiver's carefully place pawsteps. Stormy, Jet and Night were in the cage before Stomspirit's. Lily was sleeping soundly a cage away from Stormspirit, her cream colored chest rising and falling softly.

Shiver halted in front of Lily's cage, an idea suddenly creeping into her mind. Razor looked at Shiver, confused, as the pale she-cat slunk over to Lily's cage and flicked the lock open. Why were they bringing Lily? Then realization dawned on him. This was a rescue mission. He slipped into the cage after Shiver. Shiver gently pawed Lily's flank, waiting eagerly for her to awake. Lily's green eyes shot open, jaws parted to yowl. Razor's tail slapped over her jaws before that happened. Lily quickly calmed down, though she looked edgey and not very trusting.

Shiver jerked her head toward the open cage door and led the other three cats out. Lily soon realized, as they wove through the rows of empty cages, that she was going to be rescued. Razor brought up the back, glancing back carefully. They padded down the long hall, ears pricked and whiskers quivering in anticipation. Shiver carefully scented the air. No guards. Bad move. All three cats easily made it outside, not detected at all.

Shiver glanced around before spotting a patch of ferns a little ways off the porch. She quickly rolled in it, covering her pelt with the rusty scent. Then she stood and motioned for the others to do the same. They then made their way down to the stream, pawsteps light and heads jerking around to take in the night landscape. The three stopped at the pale rippling stream, hearts fluttering wildly in their chests. Lily quickly took a drink and sat down.

"Thank you." She breathed. "Thank you so much."

Shiver smiled, her white pelt glowing in the silver moonlight. "Nothin' to it." She smiled wearily.

"But..." Lily mewed slowly. "Why did you help me escape? And not Storm? Or yourself?"

Shiver smiled and shook her head. "If we didn't get you out of there tonight, you were going to get raped again. Nobody else there has anything bad coming yet."

Lily beamed, eyes watery in the cool night breeze. "Thank you so much." She whispered again. She turned to Razor. "And thank you. I was wrong for being afraid of you. I'm glad they assigned you as my 'mate' instead of somebody else."

Then Lily gently licked Razor and Shiver both on the ear and mewed a quick farewell as she leapt across the stream in two bounds, landing on the stone in the center before launching herself the rest of the way across. Shiver and Razor watched as she disappeared over the next hill, tails entwined. Shiver leaned against his strong body, listening to the deep rumbling purr in his chest. She closed her eyes for a few moments, cherishing this small moment before lifting her gaze to the moon which sat high in the sky.

"Come on." She whispered. "We better get back."

Razor nodded, throwing a longing glance at the forest that lay far beyond the stream. Then he looped his tail around Shiver's and they padded back toward the mansion. Shiver suddenly froze as they reached the base of the porch. A fresh scent wreathed the air around her and she let out a tiny gasp. Razor's golden eyes glowed in terror as a shadow was cast across their pelts as a large cat stepped out from behind the metal scrap pile.

"Oh, StarClan, no..." Shiver murmured, eyes filled with anxiety.

"I saw what you did." The cat mewed darkly, eyes glaring accusingly. "Did you really think no one would see you?"

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**WOOT! GOT A CHAPPIE DONE! *faints* Finally! Gosh, that took so long I thought I was gunna die.**

**Hey, so don't forget to vote on the poll. Longer chapters or not? Also, I want to know what you guys think of Lightning's sudden strange change of attitude.**

**~Flamesong**


	22. Chapter 17

**Thanks guys for your suggestions and opinions! They are very very very much appreciated! *throws Shiver plushies to all reviewers***

**Okay, so the result of meh poll was to keep the chapter lengths the same. I kinda half to agree. Writers' block pretty much wrecked chapter... hm... what was it... oh, chapter 14 near the end. And that was a really long chapter.**

**Oh, and I LUV FANFIC. Lol, it's a great environment to publish your stories and actually GET FEEDBACK. IT MAKES ME SOOOOOOOO HAPPY.**

**Disclaimer: Um... so... uh... I don't own Warriors... aaaand... *fidgets*... er... uh... to the story!**

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**Chapter 17**

She didn't even hear half of the words he said. _Oh StarClan. Oh great, dear, StarClan. We're dead. We're oh so dead. Just kill me now. Send down a bolt of lightning and just kill me now. **Please **kill me now._

She kept praying and praying and suddenly, there was a voice in her ear; melodic and soft like moonlight on calm waters. _"Shiver. The Lightning was sent long ago. Long ago... You just have to open your eyes and see it..."_

It hit her. Stronger, in fact, than a bolt of lightning. She opened pale silvery eyes that she hadn't realized had been shut. Lightning glared down at them from the porch, head shaking disapprovingly. She blinked and shook her head to clear it. What had StarClan meant? A silence settled over Razor and Shiver as they huddled together, looking up at Lightning pleadingly. Lightning just stared at Shiver in disgust. Shiver wasn't sure whether it was because her tail was curled around Razor, or because she had set Lily free.

Lightning's black tabby tail flicked and he leapt nimbly down the few steps straight to Shiver whose eyes glowed with a frightened, worried look. "What is this?" He growled, narrow golden eyes glaring in the dark. "Weakness?" He said the word, almost laughing. "Since when have you been weak. Hm?" He stalked around Shiver, spitting out every word as if were mouse bile, making Razor shrink away. He stopped in front of Shiver, eyes flaming, nose pressed right up against her as he stared her in the eyes.

Shiver blinked in surprise, completely caught off guard. She frowned, giving a slight shake of her head. What in the name of StarClan. When she didn't answer, Lightning rolled his eyes and stalked toward the mansion a few steps. "I guess you aren't the she-cat I thought you were." He turned around and glared at her, voice mocking. "Weakling."

Shiver knew he was just trying to get her temper going, but it worked anyway. She snarled, the look in her eyes turning to pure hatred. "Why do you insist on being so fox-brained and scummish!" She spat, Razor watching with a confused light in his eyes.

A warm smirk twitched on the edges of Lightning's muzzle. "Much better." He whirled back around, tail-tip flicking Shiver's nose. He disappeared into the mansion, but his head soon reappeared in the dim moonlight. "I would be getting back to your cage if I were you."

Shiver blinked in utter shock and surprise. What was wrong with this cat? She and Razor exchanged a quick glance of confusion. Shiver rolled her eyes and bounded up to the mansion, waiting as Razor shook his pelt, tipped his head slightly and muttered something under his breath before following. There was something weird going on with Lightning. Even Razor knew that.

***_later_***

"Rise and shine!"

Shiver squinted in the direction of the low, happy whisper, slightly annoyed at being woken so early. A tail brushed across her nose and she held back a sneeze as she wiggled away from the warmth of Razor's side. "Whadda you want?" She muttured quietly, blinking in the faint light that was barely a glow. "Can't a cat get any sleep around here?"

"You'll have plenty of time to sleep later. Now come _on_!" The deep voice grew slightly urgent.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your tail in a knot." Shiver drug her paws over the cold cage floor and almost fell nose first as she stepped out of the cage. She blinked, not really wanting to open her eyes. So she didn't.

The other cat chuckled and laid its tail on her shoulder, padding forward and guiding her smoothly over the rotten floorboards, away from any cracks and knot holes. Shiver blundered on blindly, not really realizing how much she was trusting this cat that was guiding her. Instead, her mind was dull and faint whispers of a dream weren't completely gone yet. Her memory wasn't quite awake either. She caught slight glimpses of last nights events, Lily disappearing over the hill crest and listening to Razor's deep, deep purr. By the time she had awakened form her trance, she realized the the ground beneath her was uneaven and tall grass stalks brushed her sides. A slight breeze carried her pelt up from her side in soft whisps. She could scent the cat ahead of her, tail still on her shoulder, and the rotting, musky scent of the marsh a ways ahead.

She liked the feeling of knowing where she was, though she couldn't see anything, so she kept her eyes closed, letting out a long, deep sigh. Slowly, the ground beneath her paws grew soggy and soon, rough reeds caught against her fur as she brushed past them. A red-winged black bird cawed loudly, rustling the reeds near her as it took flight. Shiver had never really thought of the marsh as a beautiful place. But the sounds and feeling of it gave her the sense that she was out of place; an observer of something strange. Finally the cat in front of her came to a halt. Only then did she realize how odd this situation was. She was somewhere in the marsh with a cat she hadn't even thought to see who it was. The tail disappeared from her shoulder and she opened her eyes slowly, cautiously, eyelids fluttering like ladybird wings.

The breath left her lungs as she took in the scene around her. Lightning sat in front of her, smiling softly, golden eyes narrowed happily. There were several tall, skinny cypress trees stretched up to touch the slowly brightening sky, a pink glow spreading across the clouds above their heads. Lightning was sitting on a large stone that jutted out over a small stream that Shiver recognized as the one that flowed through the plains. She glanced upstream, peering through the trees and reeds. A large expanse of water glimmered with a soft orangish glow. The marsh led up to the stream and on the other side of the stream, the plains seemed to continue as if thhe marsh was a tiny island oasis in a vast sea of golden stalks.

"Welcome to the Border." Lightning mewed quietly, his voice seeming to echo in the silence of the serene spot.

"The Border..." Shiver murmured. "Why is it called that?"

Lightning smiled, tail brushing the surface of the stream, creating a little ripple in the current. "The marsh borders the plains. The plains border the lake and the lake melts into the marsh."

"The lake," Shiver smiled, testing the word out. _That must be that huge expanse of water._

Lightning frowned and shook his head. "Shiver," he sighed suddenly, "I can't lie to you. I'm ashamed. Ashamed of my dumb, fluff-brained self and my stupid air-headed notions."

Shiver glanced at him, hiding her utter confusion behind a look of annoyance. "Is that why you dragged me out here? To tell me that you're brainless?" She chuckled slightly. "Yeah. I think I already had that figured out."

Lightning opened his mouth to say more, but thought differently and glared at Shiver, eyes disappointed and slightly hurt. "Look. I didn't stay up all night thinking just to bring you down here and have you yell insults at me! I know I was stupid and naive. Why can't you just give me a chance?"

Shiver sat in silence for a few heartbeats before lowering her head and shaking it. "Shoot," she muttured, almost positive that nothing good was to come of this.

Lightning's whiskers twitched and he continued speaking. "Okay. " He let out a long quivering breath of air. "I know how much you hate me. You have a very good reason to. I tortured you. I made you go hungry. I forced you to hunt; didn't protect you from that fox that tried to eat you." His ears lay flat back on his head and he studied the stone beneath his paws with narrowed golden eyes, a lump rising quickly in his throat. He forced it back. He had to continue. "I kept you from your rightful home. Stole you from those who loved you. Loved you when I had no right to."

He paused, looked up at the sky with an exasperated sigh and then back down at his paws. He suddenly stood and pushed past Shiver, shaking his head. "No. I can't."

Shiver blinked a few times, brow furrowed in thought as Lightning plodded away. "Wait." She mewed softly. "Wait!"

Lightning froze and turned around. His eyes were dark and sad. He didn't look Shiver in the eye. "What." He fully expected her to bash him with insults, unknowingly breaking apart his very being every time she did so. His heart was no longer black. It hadn't been for several suns.

"Tell me why I should care." Shiver mewed gently. It wasn't demanding, though. Or harsh and accusing. It was calm and serious, a pressing question.

"You shouldn't." Lightning mewed with a sigh. "But if you did, it would only be because I want to say... I'm sorry. So sorry. Oh great suns I'm sorry." His voice shook with emotion and he turned his head away from Shiver, afraid of her seeing him so broken and vulnerable.

Shiver smiled sadly, whispering, "Thank you Lightning." Thoughts whizzed through her head, confused and jumbled. _Is this what StarClan meant? Was he sent to rescue me? Not break me apart? _"I forgive you."

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**WOOOT! DE SHIVER/LIGHTNING STORY CONTINUES. Lol, I felt that I really needed to devote a whole chapter to that. I mean, it's perty important! BUT! Lightning may not end up with Shiver. Remember that Shiver still isn't really very fond of Lightning, though she is accepting of him. So don't assume ANYTHING just yet. I has big plans for Lightning and not all of them include Shiver. And we can't forget about adorable little Razor! ^^ *pats sleeping Razor's head* so cutesies...**

**~Flamesong**


	23. Chapter 18

**Hm... I honestly don't have much to say... Well, for those of you who reviewed, I give you... LIGHTNING PLUSHIES! Since he seems to be becoming a favorite character!**

**Disclaimer: um... *clears throat* I believe we all know I don't own Warriors... considering I've said that about... 12 times or more...**

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**Chapter 18**

Shiver stalked through the tall green grasses, feeling better than she had in moons. She was so busy thinking that she almost didn't see a little furry brown creature, searching for food. Fortunately, her keen eyes caught the slightest movement as it skittered behind a clump of stalks. Shiver smiled, her mood obviously affecting her actions. She slid up to the stalks and shot around them in a flash and returned with a warm, plump mouse in her jaws. The sky above her was almost completely washed of clouds and the sun shone down with a brilliant warming light that would have been blisteringly hot if it were not for the cool breeze that ruffled Shiver's silky fur and made her feel light on her feet.

She trotted through the stalks, the earth warm under her pads. Her path made its way toward the stream and she glanced out at the forest that she hoped to live in some day. Her paws itched to sprint towards it now, without a single cat knowing. But she knew she could never do that. After a few heartbeats she continued, heading downstream toward a large rock. She stopped there and set her mouse down before scraping at a mound of dust in front of her. She soon uncovered a vole, a sparrow, and a large rabbit.

"Need some help with that?" A strong voice mewed sweetly behind her.

Shiver jumped slightly and turned around to find herself literally nose-to-nose with Razor. "Oh, uh sure!" Shiver laughed, her ear tips hot. "That rabbit is quite fat."

Razor smiled kindly and flicked Shiver's nose affectionately with his white tail-tip. "Silly mouse-brain," he smiled, scooping up the rabbit in his powerful jaws, though he handled the prey carefully as to not draw blood.

Shiver couldn't help but think how he would make a wonderful father, so strong to protect them, but gentle and caring in handling and playing with them. She blinked at her wild imagination and shook her head, picking up the vole and sparrow, along with the mouse. Then she bounded up toward the mansion, tail brushing Razor's cheek as she passed him. Razor held back a laugh and raced after her, ginger and white paws gliding over the ground. He quickly caught up with her and head-butted her flank playfully. Shiver grinned around her fresh-kill and shook her head. The scent of the prey filled her head and made her remember that she hadn't eaten since last night.

They arrived at the foot of the mansion and Shiver dumped her prey onto Razor's pile before flopping down to the ground and rolling onto her back, feeling the warm ground mix slightly with her pelt, making it dusty. She sighed and stared up at the cloudless sky, trying to remember just how old she was. Almost a season? Yes. That had to be it, though she knew it was several moons away from the end of full-leaf, the time in which she was born. It wasn't even full-leaf yet. In act, it was just in the middle of new-leaf. Baby birds were still crying for their mothers and new grass was still springing up among the stalks.

Razor flopped down beside her, their silver and rusty pelts brushing. Razor's golden eyes closed contentedly and his tail brushed over Shiver's. Shiver sighed and pressed her muzzle into his neck fur, a purr rumbling deep in her chest. She took a deep breath, feeling Razor's soft pelt tickle her nose. He smelled of something like the splintering wood in the old mansion and the forest that was so far away. Shiver felt as if she were high up in a tree, sensing the whole world from above. Soon, she found herself absorbed in this little world and drifted off to sleep with the sun warming her pelt and a soft breeze tickling her whiskers. And suddenly, Razor was gone.

_She fumbled around in darkness, searching for his warm side, clawing at nothing. The ground underneath her paws was flat and lifeless. There was no texture to tell her if she was on grass or stone. She began panicking. Where was she? Why couldn't she see. She opened her eyes but all she could see was darkness. She couldn't even see her own paws. She tried to cry out, but she couldn't even hear herself._

_"Hush, my child," a calm, sweet voice filled her head, seeming to come from all around her._

_"Larkfeather?" Shiver murmured, barely hearing herself speak. "W-where are you?"_

_"Be still," her mother mewed kindly. "Your senses will soon return."_

_So Shiver waited, and waited, for what seemed like forever. She couldn't hear herself breath, see, or feel anything. Finally, the quiet, gentle rasp of breathing reached her sensitive ears. And soon, she could hear the soft sound of another breath. Her mother's. After a few more heartbeats, a glowing, blurry shape faded into view. She blinked a few times until it was clear. Larkfeather smiled at her, the stars in her fur giving her a pale, sparkling aura. Larkfeather stood and turned, sweeping her tail around her and padding away. The scene around her slowly came into view. Shiver smiled and padded forward, she suddenly felt the grass underneath her paws again and sighed._

_Larkfeather turned back and shook her head. "Sorry about that," She sighed. "It's a little harder to draw you to me during the day."_

_Shiver smiled, padding over to her mother and pressing against her. "It's so good to see you!" She meowed. "I haven' talked to you in so long..."_

_Larkfeather nodded, giving her daughter an affectionate lick on the ear. "I've missed you too."_

_"But we don't have much time," she mewed, drawing quickly back, eyes troubled. "Your time of escape is coming soon."_

_Shiver's eyes glowed happily and in anticipation. "When," she breathed._

_Larkfeather shook her head, smiling sadly. "I cannot say," she sighed. "But for some, the time isn't enough."_

_"W-what?" Shiver squeaked, throat tightening. Her thoughts immediately went to Razor. Would he be sold? Or worse... murdered._

_Her mother's face was grave and sorrowful. "You must hurry. Get those out who need it most. You can't waste a moment." Her eyes were dark as she continued. "You must trust those you don't. You can't trust your instincts."_

_Shiver opened her mouth to speak, but instead found the scene around her fading to black. "No!" She cried. "Wait! Who must I trust?"_

_Then blackness closed in on her and she fell back onto the warm ground with a violent jerk._

She gasped, jerking awake. Her breathing was ragged. She looked down at Razor who was sleeping peacefully. As she pulled away from him, the dream still ringing in her ears, she knew that something was going to change, and soon.

***_later_***

Shiver's eyes narrowed as she padded away from her cage, the moonlight catching her fur. She paused in front of the cages, letting out a soft sigh. Who. Who would it be? Summerpaw and her kits wouldn't be safe out there alone, so that was a definite no. Stormspirit? She would be a good choice. She had been here longer than anyone besides Shiver and Razor and had gone through much more pain. She bit her lip and padded toward the cage, flicking the lock carefully with her tail. She swallowed hard before nosing the door open and giving her adopted mother a gentle lick. Storm's eyes opened slowly and she blinked at Shiver in the dim light. Her gray eyes flashed in recognition and she stood up, confused.

"Shh," Shiver murmured, glancing behind her. "Come on."

Storm suddenly seemed to realize what was happened and nodded her scarred face vigorously. Shiver led her out of the cage room and down the hall, all the while praying feverishly to StarClan that if anyone would see them, it would be someone she could trust, even if she didn't think she could. Shiver quickly directed Stormspirit to roll in the garlic patch and then did so herself. They padded side-by-side down to the stream near the crossing stones. They arrived and sat for a moment.

"Oh, Shiver, my precious little kit," Storm smiled sadly. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

Shiver smiled and gave her adopted mother a kind lick on her muzzle. "I know one way you can help, though I doubt it will work..."

"What? I'll do whatever you need to rescue all of those poor little kits from those terrible masters." Stormspirit mewed determinedly.

Shiver thought for another moment before continuing. "Find your way back to RiverClan. Once you do, tell them my story. Tell them about the masters and how they treat us. Tell them about how they treated you." She paused for a moment. "I know they'll want to come rescue us... but tell them to wait until the full moon. I need to... get a few things worked out before hand... Also, send someone to speak to me on the half moon. Somebody who knows what's going on."

"I will," Storm mewed solemnly. "And thank you. So much."

Then she leaped onto the stone and across the stream, padding steadily uphill. Shiver watched her go sadly, wondering if she should have brought Razor. No... it wouldn't have helped anything. Then she stood and shook her head, turning back toward the mansion, not knowing what would happen. She took a deep breath and padded up to the mansion, heart thudding nervously.

_Please StarClan, please let no one see me. Please... _She thought furiously.

Much to her dismay, a shadow appeared on the porch, its tail twitching irritably. She padded forward, remembering Lightning's words. _Weakling._

"This cannot become a regular thing with you," the cat growled, annoyed.

_Lightning. Thank StarClan._

"Well what am I suppose to do?" Shiver glared at him. "Just sit and watch as my adopted mother gets raped and soon has to mate with her own son?"

Lightning just shook his angular head, sighing. "I don't know. But what am I suppose to tell them when they find that TWO of their slaves are missing? Oh, oops. I must've missed 'em strollin' out the door!"

Shiver shook her head sadly, relieved that Lightning wasn't going to say anything. "I don't know... I just..." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay. My real mother came to me in a dream yesterday after Razor and I got done hunting. She told me that I must _trust those I don't._ I have a feeling, that means you."

Lightning's ear twitched and her padded down off the porch. "Your mother visits you in your dreams?" He mewed, golden eyes glinting with awe. "So that's how you know all this stuff..."

Shiver held back a chuckle and rolled her eyes. "Yes, she does. Her name is Larkfeather and she died shortly after I was born during an attack on camp by a band of rogues. She looks nothing like me except for my eyes."

She looked over at Lightning who stared back at her eyes, trying to imagine some other cat with eyes the same as hers. Impossible.

"Anyway, she told me that my time for escape was coming soon, but for others, that time wouldn't be enough." Shiver stared at the stars in the sky, her voice sad and yearning. "She told me I mustn't was any more time. I have to get those out who need it the most. It was Lily first. She was easy to see, and I knew I had to get Stormspirit out before Hawk was told to mate with her."

Lightning nodded, tail twitching as he watched Shiver carefully. There was a moment of silence between them before Lightning spoke. "I want to help."

Shiver swallowed back a cry of joy and glanced over at him. "Really? It'll mean betraying your father."

Lightning nodded, smiling warmly. "Anything for you."

Shiver glared at him harshly. "Alright," she mewed slowly, her voice careful but steady. "Tell Sheek that I helped them escape. Do NOT say anything about Razor. Just tell him that you saw me sneak out with them tonight. Not on separate nights. Then ask him if you can take me to the Blood Tree yourself, all alone. If he lets you, I have a plan. If he doesn't... I'll live."

"Great suns, you're so brave." Lightning shook his head slightly. "I'll do exactly what you say. Now, come on. It's time for you to get back to your cage."

Shiver shrugged, glaring slightly and followed him back into he mansion, hoping that Razor hadn't woken up. They stopped at the entrance to the cage room and Shiver flicked her tail to Lightning.

"Wait," Lightning whispered.

Shiver stopped and looked back at him, confused. Lightning slid up next to her and gave her a gentle lick on the ear. Her pelt turned hot underneath his tongue. Shiver bristled and stepped away, fighting to take control of her temper.

"I've still got claws, you know," she hissed quietly, eyes glinting angrily in the moonlight.

Lightning sighed softly and turned away, ignoring her comment. "Goodnight..."

Shiver glared at him one last time before slipping away through the cages, her pelt glimmering silver in the night.

Lightning watched her go over his shoulder and as soon as she was out of earshot, he whispered. "...my love."

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**Awww! Even I (who created Lightning to look, act, and breath evil) have to agree that he is the CUTEST. So romantic and adorable. Meh luffles him. *huggles Lightning plushie* Anyway, I finally got my plot going! FINALLY. After... how many chapters? 18? Goodness me. Anyway, I hope you likeys where I'm taking this!**

**Oh, and for all of my awesome fantastical loyal reviewers, I'd like to know what you think is going to eventually happen in the story! Such as, how will the escape, who will escape, what will happen to Lightning, will Shiver have a mate and if she does, who? I find others' predictions useful in story writing. It lets me write the story so you'll like what's happening, but it also helps me add cliff hangers and unexpected twists!**

**~Flamesong  
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	24. Chapter 19

**Okay guys, sorry bout having to wait so long for this update. I was at camp. WHICH BY THE WAY, WAS AWESOME. I wish I could live there. But I can't. Plus I think you guys would go blind staring at the computer screen, waiting for an update on Hidden Hope. Am I right? XD  
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**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Warriors even when I'm covered in rotting red muck from rotten tomatoes because you hate cliff hangers...**

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**Chapter 19**

"I have some very... unfortunate news... for... a certain cat," Sheek's growl was low as it echoed across the center room. All of the slaves listened carefully and the air seemed to quiver with fear. "I found out," the huge tortoise shell tom continued, pacing from one end of the couch to the other, his claws digging into the material, "this morning that someone was seen sneaking back into the mansion. When further investigation took place, it was found that Storm and Lily were both missing. Now what a coincidence that is... hm?"

Sheek's dark brown gaze turned to Shiver who remained calm, her face the perfect picture of nonchalant innocence. She blinked and shook her head.

"I'd hate to be that cat," she muttered under her breath.

Furry lit Sheek's gaze and he stormed down from the couch, stalking over to Shiver with his ears twitching crazily as other slaves quickly cleared the way for Sheek. "And the guilty one denies it." His growl brought a slight murmur from the crowd.

Shiver blinked, eyes wide. "W-what?" She gasped loudly, jumping to her paws. "Me? I didn't do it! I swear!"

"Oh really?" Sheek was seething now.

"Yes, really!" Shiver mewed, sounding slightly angry. "You can't prove it was me!"

"I don't have to," Sheek sneered.

Shiver made her eyes go wide and peered past Sheek. Lightning was gathering with the other masters, his golden eyes narrowed cunningly. Twist crouched beside him, actually bigger than Robin who was slightly undersized for her age. His little brown eyes gleamed though his expression was unreadable. Shard pushed to the front of them, a hungry gleam in his eye. Shiver carefully kept herself from shuddering at his unnerving look. The masters gathered eagerly behind Sheek, waiting for him to give orders. Instead, Sheek held up his tail, still glaring at Shiver.

"We'll wait until the end of the meeting. I have things to announce that I'm sure she'll want to hear," his eyes gleamed in hatred as he swept around and bounded back onto the couch.

Shard snarled in disappointment, his dark blue eyes glazed in annoyance. He spat at Shiver and stalked away. Lightning hissed in her face and Robin swiped her shoulder with a claw. Twist just glared at her, eyes blank. Jade sniffed, sitting off to the side as she watched the others. Shiver got the sense in the past few moons that she didn't participate in Sheek's torturous ways, but was loyal to him.

Shiver's eyes glowed with resentment toward the masters and she wished them to be struck by lightning that very instant. Suddenly, a thought came to her. _Struck by Lightning._ She shook the thought away and looked up at Sheek in anger and hatred.

Sheek smirked and turned to the crowd. "I have decided that we will be having a slave sale on the half moon."

Several gasps went up from the throng of cats and sudden fear clouded Shiver's icy gaze.

_But for some, the time isn't enough._

Larkfeather's dark, troubling words echoed in her head.

"The only slaves that won't be up for sale will be Shiver, Razor, and Summer," Sheek's loud mew gave Shiver some relief, but not much.

Everyone. Everyone else. Summerpaw's kits, Stormspirit's kits. Everyone. A stone seemed to be lodged in her throat and wouldn't budge no matter how hard she swallowed. The meeting continued on, though Shiver barely heard any of the words Sheek said.

"Robin has decided who she will take for a mate," Sheek announced, nodding to Robin.

Robin, who was sitting at the foot of the couch nodded back and turned to face the crowd. "I have decided that I will take Ember for my mate," she mewed loudly.

Ember grinned and nodded to Robin, tail flicking back and forth. Robin hopped up and padded over to sit beside him. Lightning mentally gagged. Shiver was oblivious.

Sheek made a few announcements about prey and such before ending the meeting and turning to Shiver, malice seeping from his gaze. "As for you, young lady, you will be taken to the Blood Tree."

Shiver's icy gaze glazed over with fear as Sheek's eyes swept over the masters as if he was deciding who to send. But his gaze settled on Lightning.

"Lightning." He mewed snappily. "Take her. You have permission to do whatever you want to her. Just don't kill her."

Lightning's muzzle curled with a smirk and he stalked toward Shiver as the rest of the masters exchanged confused, disappointed glances. Lightning crouch near the floor and snarled, looking as if he might shred Shiver into pulp that very moment. "Run for your life. Literally."

Shiver swallowed hard before slowly turning and then bolting out the door, more quickly than she had ever run before. Lightning was right on her heels. She felt his sharp claws pricking at her hindquarters and ran faster, fear mounting in the back of her mind, though she knew that Lightning didn't really want to hurt her. Yet, he bit her tail and clawed a shallow gash in her flank. She screeched and tried to run faster. In no time at all they had reached Blood Tree and Shiver plopped down in the middle of the muck, gasping as the pain suddenly came on much stronger. Lightning padded up slowly behind her. His face fell as he saw what he had done to her.

"Oh, no..." He murmured. "Not again... Oh great suns, Shiver, I'm so sorry..." He padded over to her and gently nuzzled her cheek.

Shiver spat and scooted away from him. "Get off me, you bag of fleas! It isn't that bad. It's just that my muscles were moving when I got the injury and then they suddenly stopped."

Lightning clamped his jaws together and muttered a quiet apology. Shiver rolled her eyes, deciding that she would have to confront him about this 'in love' problem he was having. But that would have to wait.

"Lightning," she sighed, "I need your help. Actually, **we** need your help."

Lightning looked up, blinking.

"Try to imagine for a moment, being a slave. You can't go anywhere, do anything, without being told to. And everything you do is work. Everything. Even if it is something you would enjoy, it becomes work because you repeat it so often." Shiver's voice was dark as she spoke, trying to capture feelings with words. It was impossible. "You get slashed across the muzzle for trying to stand up for yourself or for your friends. You watch your sisters get raped and get pregnant and bear the kits of a cat whom they hate deep in their heart. Imagine being forced to rape a she-cat who you only feel sorry for. And she is terrified of you. Terrified. Because you're being forced to do something that you don't want to. And you can't fight back. Well, you can, but you'll die trying."

Lightning stared at his paws, silent for a moment. "I know," his voice shook slightly. "I was so blind." He turned his head away in shame. "I couldn't see how I was breaking their lives apart. Every single one, broken."

Shiver threw him a sideways glance before smiling slightly. "The important thing is that you realize that," she mewed carefully. "And now, you have a chance to right your wrongs." She stared at him expectantly, icy blue eyes blinking slowly.

Lightning looked back at her, expecting to see some sign of anger or repulsion at his disgusting past. But there was none. Only depths upon depths of gentle, winter skies. "Of course," he blinked, quickly jerking his head away, feeling a sense of awe. "What do you need me to do?"

Shiver's muzzle broke into a grin and she laughed. "I knew I could trust you! Thank you StarClan!" She felt Lightning look at her in confusion and shook her head. "Uh, anyway... I told Storm last night to find her way back to RiverClan and tell them that we're here. They would never refuse to send help. Not if I know what a Clan is. I told her to send someone on the half moon to meet me by the stream. Then, I would tell them how to attack and when. But now... now there isn't enough time. With the slave sale at the half moon, I don't know what to do. In fact, I don't think I can do anything... except watch, and pay attention to who the buyers are."

Her brow was furrowed as she stared at her paws sadly. Lightning felt his heart sink as he realized again, that this was his fault too. He looked away and took a deep breath, holding back a cry of regret and frustration. Then he spoke softly, gently, choosing his words carefully. "What can I do. Just tell me what to do. I'll do it."

Shiver didn't look up. Words were dancing in front of her eyes, the words of her mother. Finally, she sighed. "Lightning. What I need you to do... is more than I could ever ask anybody. But I'm asking you anyway. I need you to betray your father and everything you've ever known."

The dark tabby's face didn't change expression. His golden eyes just flashed with understanding. So Shiver continued. She went over and over with him what she was thinking. Lightning nodded, expression serious as he absorbed her every word, committing them to memory.

When she was finished, Shiver glanced around glaring in thought. "Chain me up."

"What?" Lightning meowed, startled.

"I said chain me up," Shiver mewed, fixing him with an icy glare. "Do you want them to find out about this?"

Lightning's whole face was engulfed in confusion. He blinked a few times before padding over to the Blood Tree and fumbling with the chains before nodding to Shiver. "I'll chain you up, but I'm not going to hurt you."

Shiver nodded and bounded over, the cut on her side stinging slightly. She stepped where Lightning motioned with his tail and Lightning wrapped a chain around her front paws and around her hind paws. Before she could blink, Shiver was strung part way around the trunk of the cypress tree, her limbs stretched painfully.

"Now go," she mewed firmly, hissing when he hesitated.

After Lightning was out of the clearing, she took a deep breath, stretched her claws and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. She felt the tugging sensation in her chest as she drifted into StarClan's world.

_This time, it took less time to earn her senses in the beautiful forest where the moon shone down on her pale coat. Larkfeather stepped out of the bushes, smiling at her daughter. Shiver bounded over to her mother, purring. But she quickly drew back, remembering the urgency._

_"Mother," she meowed hurriedly, "I need help."_

_"Hush," Larkfeather mewed, "I know. Lay down. I'll get you some star holly roots."_

_Shiver blinked. "But I thought star holly healed your wounds... not give you wounds."_

_"That's star holly leaves. This is star holly root." Larkfeather explained quickly, nosing at the soft ground near a large star holly bush. She soon found a new-sprung holly bush nearby and began scraping at the ground with her paws. After several heartbeats she tugged at the plant and brought it up, bringing with it, clumps of dirt and several pale, stringy roots attached to thicker roots. She laid the plant down on the ground, her white-tipped muzzle smeared with dust. She placed a paw on the top of the plant and gnawed on a root until it broke off before giving it to Shiver. "Eat."_

_Shiver glanced at her mother before sighing and taking a bite of the root. Pain laced down her throat as she swallowed and she gasped. That was all it took._

Lightning slunk back into the clearing, too curious to obey Shiver's firm words. He padded over to her side, realizing she was asleep. His golden eyes traced over her silver-tinted pelt longingly, admiring the way it gleamed in the sunlight that filtered through the leaves of the cypress. He leaned forward, closing his eyes, and gently licked her ear. He drew back suddenly, startled to find the taste of blood on his tongue. He looked carefully at Shiver's ear to find a large niche on her ear, blood welling from it rapidly. His eyes grew wide in fear. Had he done that? He stepped back and gaped as Shiver's pelt was suddenly covered in blooming roses of blood that stained the cypress. Her fur seemed to melt away in places, revealing Shiver's delicate, torn body.

_"Ouch..." Shiver panted, gazing at her pelt in astonishment. The pain hadn't been great, but enough to make her whimper. Now she was covered in deep gashes that welled with blood, though she couldn't feel a thing. She tested her leg, flexing it where the fur was torn away to reveal a place where her skin was shredded. She blinked one more time before grinning and jumping in the air, not feeling a single bit of pain. She finally gave her mother a gentle lick before thanking her._

_She was about to close her eye and end the dream, but she paused. "Mom... am I doing the right thing?"_

_Larkfeather chuckled and flicked her daughter's shoulder with her tail-tip. "Shiver. You are doing more than what's right. You're fighting for it."_

_Then the blackness began to whisk away her sight as she smiled, letting herself feel her aching limbs against the cypress once more._

"Shiver?"

She blinked, craning her neck to see Lightning standing behind her, golden eyes wide in terror as his gaze flooded hers. She rolled her eyes and laughed. "It's okay!" She smiled, flicking him on the nose with her tail. "Just get me down from here!"

Lightning looked uncertain, but quickly unhooked the chains, gently lowering her to the ground. Shiver stood and shook her pelt, sending a shower of blood out from her. Lightning gaped.

"StarClan herbs work miracles," she mewed simply before padding to the edge of the clearing.

Lightning padded after her, completely dazed. All he could think was, _she is the most amazing she-cat. I'll never find anyone for me besides her. She has got to be the one._

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**Woot! I liked that chapter... though I was kinda rushed writing it...**

**So, you guys should tell me what you think Shiver's exact plan is. I've told you part of it, but not all of it! Also, I want to know what you think will happen AFTER Shiver escapes. Which I hope by now you all know since Larkfeather has already announced that. And not just the mate thing either, what will happen? Will she end up in RiverClan, or something else?**

**~Flamesong  
**


	25. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20! YAY! I should like... throw a party! ^^ *throws party* Lol...**

**Thanks you guys for your input! Btw, I'm working on some song fics for some of the characters, but that won't be done for a looooooong time!**

**Disclaimer: News cast person- And now we go to Flamesong, and her daily disclaimer. So, Flamesong, do you own Warriors?**

**Flamesong- NO! I DON'T OWN WARRIORS! HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO ASK ME?**

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**Chapter 20**

The days passed slowly at first approaching half moon. Things went as they usually did, except Shiver and Razor were almost always awake at night, planning, sneaking around outside their cages. Shiver convinced Lightning to show her around the rest of the mansion and teach her where things were. It took a few times through to differentiate one winding hallway from another. After the hallway passed the center room, it wound left, right, and went straight up a hill-like thing that twisted half-way up. Lightning referred to them as stairs. At the top of the stairs, one hallway branched out into three hallways after a few fox-lengths; one to the left, one to the right, and one down the center. Rooms extended off of each hallway, some containing supplies such as torture devices and leashes, others empty, and yet others occupied by one of the masters. Shiver peeked into each and every room, but there was one that Lightning tried very hard to keep Shiver from. But, of course, that only made Shiver want to see it more.

She peered into the room, nosing he door open just enough, causing the hinges to complain slightly. There was a huge hole in the wall that bent out, away from the mansion with a little sofa-like think under it so that you could sit and look out across the plains through the strange clear material that covered the hole. Moonlight flooded the room through that hole, gleaming off of a reflective slate that was cracked down the middle. To her surprise, there were dried flowers everywhere. Some of them were herbs and the whole room smelled wonderful.

Shiver slowly slipped into the room, her pale eyes glittering in the cold moonlight. She let her breath out slowly as her gaze swept over a nest. It was made of dried moss, ferns, feathers, and tufts of rabbit fur. Herbs were tucked into the ferns so that whoever slept there would be surrounded by a symphony of sweet smells to ease them into their dreams. She blinked. None of the masters' rooms were this nice! Whose room was this?

"Shiver!" Lightning hissed, coming in behind her. "I thought I told you not to come in here!"

Shiver ignored him, her gaze still taking in the beautiful, moonlit flowers scattered across the floor. She padded over to the hole in the wall and jumped up to overlook the plains that stretched out endlessly before her. The moonlight caught the silver tints in her fur and made her pelt shimmer. She looked back at Lightning who was staring at her intently, his annoyance forgotten. She groaned inwardly.

"Whose room is this?" She mewed softly, turning back to the night view.

Lightning jumped up beside her, tail hanging off of the edge and flicking back and forth. "No one's," he answered quietly.

"I don't believe you," Shiver meowed. "Who would go to all the trouble to prepare this room for no one to sleep in it!"

Lightning smiled, chuckling just slightly. "I did."

"Yeah right." Shiver rolled her eyes, thinking he was being sarcastic.

"No, really!"

Shiver raised a brow at him and shook her head. "Then who's it for?"

"Well," he meowed, "it _was_ for you."

"Oh."

Shiver turned around and looked at the room, sadly. It must have been for when she had been offered a position as a lower master. Lightning had probably never thought she would see this room. And if she did see it, he probably thought that she would be a master and they would be mates. She shook her head. When was he going to stop hurting himself and find another she-cat?

What Shiver didn't understand, was why he loved her.

"Shiver," Lightning mewed suddenly. "I need to tell you something."

Shiver just flicked her ear in acknowledgment. She thought she knew what was coming, and dreaded it.

Lightning's eyes flickered back and forth for a moment before he spoke. "You and Razor are... made for each other."

Shiver blinked in surprise.

"I don't expect you to love me, if that's what you were thinking. You belong with Razor. He's better for you. I just bring back memories of pain and grief." Lightning glared out at the plains, his golden eyes dark. "He's a Clan cat, strong, brave, kind, understanding. Everything that I'm not. I'm a coward, cruel, and I don't seem to get anything in life. You won't break my heart if you choose him. I just want you to be happy."

Shiver stared straight ahead, not moving, not thinking. What was she suppose to say? Thank you? No. That would sound completely heartless. Lightning cared about her. A lot. So much that he loved her. Shiver cared about Lightning, but not so much that she would risk her life for him. What didn't make sense was, why? Why did he love her? Surely he didn't care about her so much, just because she was kind and beautiful. She had snapped at him countless times, but he still loved her. There must have been something more.

She turned back towards Lightning, still not knowing what she was going to say. He was facing away from her, his ears angled backward slightly. He suddenly swung around and bounded towards the door.

"It's okay," he mewed, pausing, "you don't need to say anything."

Then he disappeared out the door. It took Shiver a few heartbeats to come to her senses again and follow him out. But by the time she had gotten back into the hallway, his dark tabby pelt had vanished. She sighed sadly before shaking her head, telling herself that this was a good thing. She wanted to be with Razor and Lightning had just taken away every reason not to be with Razor. After another moment, she padded down the hallway, back down the stairs and to her cage where Razor was waiting for her, awake. He had stepped on a sharp stone that day and injured his pad, so he hadn't come with Shiver and Lightning.

Shiver purred as she curled up close to Razor, feeling his warmth wrap around her as he laid his tail over her flank. She breathed in his scent and sighed as his chest rumbled against her side as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

***_later_***

Half moon. Great StarClan, how did it come so quickly?

Shiver was being hurried back and forth between the cage room and the center room, helping Razor carry cages. Shard and Ember would lift a cage onto Razor's back and then tilt it so it was wedged in between Razor and Shiver's sides. By the time they were done, both of their backs were bruised and scratched by the sharp edges of the metal. Then they were sent to fetch leashes for the masters to tether the slaves in their cages.

Shiver watched sadly as young Twist drew his claws down Sky's back and pulled a leash over her neck, his deep amber expression blank. He had no idea that he was injuring his own sister. Sky whimpered as she was then led away to be tied in a cage in the center room. Shiver glanced out at the sun, noting that it was almost sun high. That was when the customers would arrive. Shiver was instructed to sit to one side of the cages, with Razor on the other, and not say a word to any of the masters from other slave agencies.

Nerve was soon racking Shiver's mind as she wondered who would be taken. Summerpaw sat near the doorway, Shiver's fear was reflected in her gray eyes as they swept over the cages contain her kits. Then, at last, the sound of paws making the floor in the hall creak terribly. Robin and Lightning appeared in the doorway, escorting a huge white tom with pale yellow eyes and a smaller blue-gray tom with a white tail tip who carried a sack. Sheek appeared from his den and leaped down to greet the customers.

"Welcome!" Sheek mewed loudly with a cold grin.

"Good to see you're back in the business Sheek," the white tom mewed gruffly. "I thought you were done for good when you announced that you were closing up shop!"

Sheek shook his head. "How can anyone stay out of a business they love? Anyway, it's good to see you again, Cringe. Are you looking for anything in specific?"

Cringe nodded, his pale yellow eyes gleaming. "I need a strong she-kit. Not too old, not too young."

"Right over there!" Robin mewed, flicking her ruddy tail at a few cages near Razor.

She hurried over to one of the cages and flicked its lock open, snarling as the cat inside hesitated. Shiver saw Night pad out, her amber eyes glowing with anger.

Cringe inspected her, prodding her side with a claw and lifting her paws to look at her pads. Night hissed slightly. The blue-gray tom sniffed distastefully and whispered to Cringe for a moment. Cringe nodded and Night was returned to her cage. After some debate, the cats finally bought Stormy for two willow branches and ten hawk feathers as well as a hawk talon

Shiver caught Lightning's eye and blinked questioningly at him. Lightning nodded and turned to escort the cats out of the mansion, Stormy trailing behind the, her indigo eyes brimming with fear.

Nearing sundown, Smoke and Talon were both sold to three cats who were apparently from the other side of the swamp, past the lake. From what Shiver had heard, they had traveled a long ways. That must have meant that there was something between he other side of the lake, and the other cats' home. The cats were planning on starting a slave business of their own. Shiver felt her temper clawing at the back of her throat as Smoke and Owl were led out, undoubtedly expected to produce a whole slave agency.

It was almost time to close the sale when the last customers arrived. A pale tawny she-cat and a large black tom with a white patch on his muzzle.

"Willow! Coal!" Sheek exclaimed in surprise as the two cats entered with Lightning and Robin. "I didn't think you would make it!"

Willow flicked her tail casually. "I decided to stop by after all. I wanted to see if we could make a deal."

"Oh, what for?"

"Well, you see," she explained, "I promised Coal, here, that we could find him a good she-cat when we went out slave shopping last moon, but all of the usually reliable agencies had nothing decent!"

Coal sniffed in disgust. "The best they had was an old bag of mouse bones who was at least two seasons old!"

Sheek wrinkled his nose. "I don't blame you!"

"So," Willow continued, "we brought along one of our best toms to see if we could make a trade."

For the first time, Shiver noticed a sleek tom standing behind Coal. The cat was fairly large and had a short, pale gray coat with a few darker gray tabby markings on his face. His huge dark blue eyes scanned the room. Coal had the leash wrapped around his paw instead of in his mouth. That's why Shiver hadn't noticed.

"Hm..." Sheek studied the tom for a moment before nodding. "We had five she-cats for sale at sun high, but two of them sold. The ones that are left are Myth, Night, and Sky."

"What about that one?" Coal flicked his tail at Shiver.

"That one?" Sheek meowed. "She's not for sale."

Shiver narrowed her eyes at Coal and her whiskers twitched. Coal was still looking at her.

"Are you sure?" He mewed. "Well, even if she isn't, could I take a look? For future references? I mean, you are planning to mate her, aren't you?"

Sheek hesitated slightly. "We will eventually, but for now, she's a laborer. A strong one too."

"Plus she's nice to look at," Ember added from the side of the room, bringing a _mrrow_ of laughter from the others and a roll of Shard's eyes.

But," Sheek added after the laughter had died down, "you may take a look if you wish."

Shiver tried horribly to keep from snarling as Coal's grubby paws ruffled her pelt. After he was done, he finally stepped back and gave her one last look before turning away. Shiver immediately shook out her pelt and began grooming herself after barring her teeth at Coal's turned back. The tom they had brought caught her look and smiled slightly. Shiver rolled her eyes and finished smoothing down her fur.

Robin unlocked the remaining she-cats' cages until all three were sitting with the leashes holding them near their cages. Coal looked them over quickly before nodding and muttering something to Willow. Willow considered it for a moment before nodding and picking out Night from the bunch. Night's amber eyes flashed in dismay as her leash was unhooked and handed over to Coal who snickered as he took the leash in his jaws and unwrapped the tom's leash from his leg. Shiver felt a pang of sorrow for Night and closed her icy eyes to keep from clawing Coal and Willow to shreds.

Lightning took the tom's leash and the other slave owners left, Night trudging behind them. Shiver looked over to Lightning, wondering if behind his cold golden glare, he felt her heartbreak. She knew Razor did from the way his head was bowed. All of Stormspirit's kits had been sold except for Hawk.

That night everyone was mellow and quiet in their cages, wondering if where their friends were going would be better or worse. And that night, Razor and Shiver had a new cage-mate who they found, had much more in common than they expected.

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**Yay! Another new charrie! You'll have to wait to see who it is though! ^^ Oh, and he's a VERY important charrie too!  
**

**So, I think I'm gunna put an allegiance page up next and move the slaves who are now in different agencies into a different category.**

**So... uh... that's it!**

**~Flamesong  
**


	26. Allegiances 5

**Hey, so here are the allegiances... and... yeah...**

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Allegiances

**Masters**

Sheek- slick tortie tom with long, sharp claws and an oily pelt; as well as extremely dark amber eyes, almost brown (current mate- Summer) (kits- Twist, Owl, Shadow, Sky, Myth)

Lightning- gaunt, but strong smoky black tabby tom with pale amber eyes

Shard- pure white tom with dark blue eyes and long, slick fur (kits- Stormy, Smoke, Night, Hawk)

Ember- fluffy, dark ginger tom with golden eyes and a white chest (mate- Robin) (kits- none)

Jade- elegant dark, chocolate brown tabby she-cat with dark green eyes

Robin- ruddy-colored she-cat with a ragged pelt and dark blue-indigo eyes (mate- Ember) (kits- none)

Twist- black and white tuxedo tom with brown-gold eyes and a white smudge on his nose

**Slaves**

Shiver- graceful white she-cat with silver tints on her back, tail, and ears; pale, icy blue eyes

Razor- rusty ginger tom with bright amber eyes

Hawk- white tom with bright amber eyes

Summer (Summerpaw)- pale golden tabby she-cat with dark gray eyes and a longish pelt (current mate- Sheek)(kits- Owl, Shadow, Twist, Sky, Myth)

Jet- gray tortie tom with silvery eyes

Shadow- sleek black tom with green eyes

Owl- dark brown tom with white flecks and gray eyes

Sky- mottled brown, gray, and black she-cat with amber-flecked brown eyes

Myth- golden tabby she-cat with glowing amber eyes

Rain (Ashpaw)- sleek, pale gray tom with darker gray tabby markings on his face and large, watery dark blue eyes

**Past/Uninvolved**

Storm (Stormspirit)- pretty dark gray she-cat with blue-gray eyes

Lily- silky cream-colored she-cat with green eyes

Stormy- sleek, black she-cat with dark indigo eyes

Smoke- dark gray she-cat with a white underbelly and dark ginger paws and tail tip; green eyes

Night- pure black she-cat with dark amber eyes

Bristle- thick furred black tom with yellow eyes

**Other**

Larkfeather- captivating gray tabby she-cat, slightly dappled with white; icy blue eyes

Angel (Angel of Steel)- long-furred tortie- mainly ginger with gold and black splotches; steely gray-blue eyes and heavily scarred paws

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**Oh, and for those of you whose cats are not involved in the story right now, don't worry. I will accept more kits from you. (there will be some soon) Some of the cats will become involved in the story again, and some will not, so sorry if your cat isn't in the story anymore... But, please, please, don't just submit one that is exactly like your old character!**

**~Flamesong  
**


	27. Chapter 21

**M'kay! Ch. 21! This story is actually getting pretty close to the end... O.o**

**We'll have to see though! I already have plans for a kind of 'sequel' thing, so don't worry!**

**Disclaimer: er... can't... think... of... anything... funny... AGH! I DON'T OWN WARRIORS! I SWEAR I NEVER DID!**

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**Chapter 21**

"Meet me on the porch at moon high," Shiver barely breathed the words as Lightning ushered her, Razor, and the new tom to their cage.

Lightning blinked in reply and snarled at the tom who was lagging slightly behind. Shiver glanced back at the pale gray cat before padding up to Razor's side so that their pelts brushed as they walked.

"I'm going to miss Talon." Razor sighed, his amber eyes fixed on something distant.

Shiver nodded, looking at the floor. "I'll miss Night the most... though I guess I'll miss all of them... they were pretty much family..."

Razor sighed again as Lightning unlocked their cage and the three cats piled in. It was slightly crowded, but that didn't really matter. Now, with Stormspirit, Lily and those who were sold, gone, Summerpaw, Jet and Hawk shared a cage while Sky, Myth, Owl and Shadow all shared a cage. Shiver settled down next to Razor. The gray tom sat a few mouse tails away, leaning against the side of the cage, blue eyes staring out into the room.

"So..." Shiver mewed quietly, the silence feeling awkward, "What's your name?"

"The masters call me Rain," the tom answered before turning to meet Shiver's gaze.

"Oh," Shiver meowed, "did you have another name? Before they gave you that name?"

Rain nodded sadly. "Yes, back home I was called Ashpaw... though it was about to change to a warrior name."

"Ashpaw." Shiver's eyes flashed in recognition. "You come from a Clan?"

"RiverClan, actually," Rain mewed.

Shiver glanced at Razor who grinned excitedly. "We come from RiverClan too!" Shiver exclaimed. "We were stolen at birth... along with Stormspirit."

Suddenly Rain's eyes widened. "S-Stormspirit? She's my mother!"

Razor's head shot up and he stared blankly at Rain. "Then... you're... my brother?"

"Stormspirit's your mom?" Rain gaped. "Oh my great StarClan..."

While the two siblings stared at each other blankly, Shiver leaped up to her paws. "This is great!" She forced herself to keep from yowling.

Suddenly, Razor's head filled with his questions and his golden eyes glowed brightly. "Did I have any other siblings?" He asked quickly.

"Yeah!" Ashpaw quickly piped up. "Littlepaw! She's our sister! She was the runt of the litter. But she's a great fisher!"

Before Razor could open his mouth again, Ashpaw continued, "Moonpetal took care of me and Littlepaw after you and mom were stolen. She told me about you! Your name was Flamekit."

"And you," Ashpaw turned to Shiver, his eyes bright. "How could I have been so mouse-brained? Moonpetal talked about you all the time! You were her last kit..." He added the last part somberly.

Shiver nodded sadly before speaking up quietly. "What was my name?"

"Silverkit!" Ashpaw replied with a gleam in his eyes. "You look a lot like Moonpetal. Except for your eyes and her pelt is completely white. Moonpetal wanted your warrior name to be Silverdream because you remind her of her sister, Larkfeather, because of your eyes. Larkfeather was killed in a rogue attack and Moonpetal saw her in a dream the next night!"

Shiver smiled slightly as Ashpaw rambled on and on, lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't wait to get back to RiverClan. Razor's tail brushing against her shoulder and Ashpaw's voice broke through her deep thoughts.

"Shiver? What's wrong?"

Shiver shook her head. "Sorry. I just can't wait to get back to RiverClan."

"We're going back?" Ashpaw exclaimed. "When? How?"

Shiver chuckled. "You'll find out tonight."

***_later_***

Razor's presence calmed her as they padded silently down the dark hallway, their ears open for any sign of the masters. Ashpaw was jumpier than a hunted rabbit and his eyes were widened as far as they would go. They slipped easily out into the night. Shiver lifted her nose to scent the air.

"Lightning," she mewed softly, her voice hushed.

The dark tabby tom appeared, slipping into the moonlight from the protection of some shadow. His golden eyes gleamed warmly and he flicked his tail. Ashpaw stared at Lightning, his fur bristling for a moment until Shiver laid her tail on his shoulder and muttered something quickly in his ear. Shiver quickly rolled in the garlic patch, Razor and Ashpaw following her lead.

"Are we escaping tonight?" Ashpaw asked excitedly as soon as they were farther away from the mansion.

"No!" Shiver growled. "We can't leave! Lightning would get in major trouble and what would happen to all of the other slaves?"

Ashpaw nodded, glancing up at the half-moon that washed his pale gray pelt to a silvery color.

Lightning stayed silent as the troop trotted quickly down to the stream, their hearts fluttering nervously, especially Shiver's. When they reached the stream, Shiver glared at the horizon for a moment. Nothing. Not even a breeze rustled the grass on the other side.

"Quiz time," she meowed unexpectedly as she turned back to face the others, specifically Lightning. "Where did they take Night?"

"Behind the mansion. About half a day's travel to the edge of a cluster of twoleg nests where there's a pond and a moor." Lightning answered without batting an eye.

"Talon and Smoke?"

"Past the lake. From what I heard, they live in a little woods near some twoleg nests that are only inhabited during full-leaf."

"Stormy?"

"Past where Angel lives, in a forest in the foothills by a few twoleg nests."

"Bristle?"

That question caught Lightning off guard and he had to think about it for a moment. "Um... that would be Wolf, Thorn and Fang. They come from a marsh that's far past the lake. About two days' travel."

Shiver nodded. "Good. Remember those."

They waited for a while longer, Razor and Shiver leaning on each other. Ashpaw curled up beside them and Lightning just stared across the stream, studying the horizon.

Finally, as Shiver's eyelids began to droop, Lightning spoke up. "Look. There."

Shiver pulled away from Razor to stand by Lightning, following his gaze. Razor jerked awake and prodded Ashpaw before joining the others. Ashpaw sat up, blinking sleepily. He stood and looked carefully. A flash of ginger fur caught his eye.

"Hey!" He grinned. "It's Rushfire! The deputy!"

Shiver felt the breath go out of her. Her father. Her father had been sent to meet them. Lightning lifted his tail and waved it at the cat. Shiver blinked a few times to concentrate before leaping across the stream, hooking her claws carefully on the rock in the center of the stream before flinging herself the rest of the way across. The others followed closely.

"Rushfire!" Ashpaw mewed as the tom came within hearing distance.

"Ashpaw?" The tom mewed incredulously.

He stepped through the tall stalks and into view. His pelt was a dark, rustic flaming ginger and his eyes were a dark emerald.

"Ashpaw!" He meowed, grinning. "I can't believe you're here!"

Shiver smiled as the two cats touched noses before Ashpaw dipped his head in respect. She wondered if he would recognize her... probably not though. Rushfire turned to the others and dipped his head kindly.

"Who is the one I was sent to speak with?"

"That would be me," Shiver mewed, smiling. "I'm Shiver."

Rushfire nodded, a gleam in his eyes. "Do I... know you?"

Shiver smiled slightly. "Well, yes and no. I'm your daughter."

Rushfire blinked, his green eyes suddenly wide. "S-Silverkit?"

Shiver smiled. "Well, I was once that kit."

Ashpaw looked completely lost. "But I thought..."

Rushfire's face was suddenly alight with joy. "You're so big! Just look at you! And your eyes! They're just like your mother's..."

Suddenly, it all clicked in Ashpaw's mind. "Larkfeather's your mom?" He squeaked. "And Rushfire's your dad? Oh my StarClan!"

Rushfire bit his lip and glanced at the others. "Uh..."

Shiver smiled. "Don't worry. They won't tell a soul." She eyed Ashpaw carefully. The young tom nodded in agreement to her words.

"Well, we haven't got all night." Shiver muttered. "So, I'll introduce everyone. This is Razor, Stormspirit's son, previously known as Flamekit. And this is Lightning. He's a master, but is helping us."

Rushfire nodded to the others in greeting. "Now, what is your plan?"

Shiver took a deep breath. "Alright. Before I assume anything I better confirm that RiverClan wants to help."

Rushfire smiled and nodded. "It would be against the warrior code not to."

"Good." Shiver sighed. "Now we have two WindClan cats. One was a kit when he was taken, so I don't know his original name. There was another WindClan tom-kit, but he was sold today. Then there's Summerpaw who now has five kits. Their father is Sheek, the head master. One of her kits, Twist, was taken to be a master. Also, Robin is one of the masters. She is a ShadowClan kit who was taken from her home at birth and she was told that Jade was her mother, but her milk would not come. Stormspirit had Shard's kits. All four of them were sold except for Hawk. Right now there's a total of ten slaves, including Razor, Ashpaw and I."

"So it's not just RiverClan!" Rushfire exclaimed. "It's all of the Clans! Except for ThunderClan..."

Shiver nodded, "But I did hear Sheek speak of going to ThunderClan once. I suspect that they had new warriors keeping a vigil and the masters were chased out. But if it weren't for that lucky coincidence, I believe ThunderClan would be involved in this too. I doubt we'll need many cats for this battle, so I don't think we'll need to get another clan involved."

"I wouldn't be so quick to think that," Lightning cut in. "There are cats that live not too far from here who would be willing to help Sheek. Plus, it wouldn't be hard for him to hide up in the halls. Any cat could easily get lost up there and then it wouldn't be hard for Sheek to pick us all off, one by one."

Shiver paused, soaking in Lightning's words. "You're right. You should tell the other Clans at the gathering about this, and if they want to help, they can. But you must tell them that they have to wait. If they attack any sooner than I've planned, I won't be ready. I have things I need to work out in my head yet and cats I want to talk to."

"Alright," Rushfire mewed quickly. "Now when do you want us to attack, and from what angle?"

Shiver hesitated slightly. She hadn't thought about where to attack from. "Well, I want you to attack on the full moon after this one. We want there to be plenty of light so we can see. If you attacked on the new moon, Sheek would have the advantage of knowing his surroundings. And I hadn't really thought about where to attack from, but now, I'm thinking that attacking from that marsh over there would be our best bet. Plus, it'll get the warriors riled up."

Rushfire's head followed her tail, pointing to the marsh. "Oh, I came through part of that on my way here."

Shiver was confused for a moment. He had come through the marsh, instead of the forest? She shook her head to clear it. That wasn't important right now. "Yes. If you look on the side of the marsh closest to the mansion, you'll find what we call Blood Tree. I would explain it now, but it's pretty self-explanatory when you see it for yourself. I want you to gather the cats there and wait for someone to come and tell you to advance. It will most likely be Lightning. Then you'll come with a few of your best warriors and Lightning will escort you to the mansion. He'll take you to the center room and you will tell Sheek that you are here to get your clan-mates back. When he refuses, then go out of the center room and the room closest to the exit in the mansion will be the cage room. There, we'll have a few kit slaves for you to take out of the mansion. That'll lure Sheek out to either fight, or give up his slaves. Then, during the fighting, the rest of the slaves will escape and the young ones will be taken to the other side of the stream to wait out the battle with Summerpaw."

Rushfire nodded, his green eyes narrowed, concentrating on Shiver's words.

"Then some of us will join the battle. After that, it is all up to StarClan." Shiver meowed in closing.

"Wait," Lightning meowed. "I have to warn you. This battle won't be pretty. Masters are trained in torture and sensitivity. We know how to find every cat's weak spot in a flash. We know all of the best advantage points to get a hold on another cat so that they can't move. Plus, in this battle, I doubt Sheek will be afraid to kill."

Shiver bowed her head in sad agreement with Lightning. Sheek would kill at the blink of an eye to keep his slaves. Rushfire sighed and nodded sadly.

"I realize that," he meowed solemnly. "I found that out when the rogues invaded our camp and killed our kits and our medicine cat."

Shiver nodded, glancing at the moon which was perched precariously close to the horizon. "Well, we better go now, before the masters are up."

Shiver gently touched noses with her father and bounded back across the stream, the others following quickly. Razor padded along beside Shiver, their tails brushing.

"Shiver?" Razor mewed quietly, something obviously on his mind.

"Yeah?" Shiver sighed, watching the ground as her white paws brushed over it.

"What are we going to do when we get back to RiverClan?"

Shiver paused for a moment. "I don't know... grow up... become warriors... live life..."

"We're already grown up," Razor chuckled slightly.

Shiver looked up and blinked. "So we are," she purred.

After a while, they both fell silent again.

"Shiver?"

"Yeah?"

"What about us?" Razor looked over at Shiver.

"I dunno," Shiver mewed, her heart fluttering, "what about us?"

"Will things be the same there as it is here?"

"Well, I guess..." Shiver mewed, slightly confused. "Why?"

"Well, I guess I kinda wanted it to be different when we go to RiverClan." Razor meowed, turning to look at the mansion.

"In what way?"

"Maybe, when we're warriors, we could fall in love..." Razor's voice was quiet as he spoke. "And then maybe we could have beautiful kits."

Shiver swallowed back the lump in her throat and looked over at Razor, her icy eyes glimmering. "Oh, Razor. I'm already in love."

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**AHW! RAZOR IS JUST TOO CUTE! XD I LUFF HIM SO MUCH. Heehehehehehe... and Shiver and Razor are sooooo cute together...**

**Anyway, was that adorable or what? Tell meh what you thought! I was going to have Moonpetal come and meet them, but Rushfire just made more sense, plus, he's Shiver's dad! So how could he NOT come? Lol. So what do you think of Ashpaw? I hadn't really planned for him to be Razor's brother, but that's just kind of the way it happened!**

**So Shiver's ultimate plan is REVEALED. I mean, in this kind of situation, you can't just yowl ATTACK and attack. Sheek would be like, what in the name of all things evil is going on? And he really wouldn't have a motive to fight. And he could just get all his slaves and hide up in the hallways. And that would be not-so-good for Shiver and da crew.**

**OH! I ALMOST FORGOT! Now would be the time to submit cats for RiverClan, OR Robin's kits! :D  
**

**~Flamesong  
**


	28. Important Notice!

**Sorry guys, but from now on, you'll have to post your OC submissions on a forum I've created for that purpose. You can still review and stuff, just post your OC submissions in the forum. If you want to know why, just PM me. I added more topics there so that you can also discuss the story and give me name suggestions. Just go to my profile and click the "My Forums" button above my profile picture and off you go!**

**And the next chapter will be up in hopefully the next few days, though I'm going to be on vacation from the 28th to the 2nd or 3rd of July. So sorry if I don't get it up!**


	29. Chapter 22

**Hey so, this chapter is going to take a LOOONG time to get up cuz I'm on vacation (which is FANTASTIC). And though I do have access to a computer, I prefer to go swimming and such with meh cousins! ^^**

**Oh, and I was kinda surprised when you guys were like, "Whoah! That was quick! Shiver's already in love?" Have none of you noticed the way Shiver and Razor are all awkward and cute around each other? Heck, she's had a crush on him since she was like, 5 moons old! Isn't it about time they fell in love?**

**Oh, and all of you who were wondering, no, Shiver never liked Lightning. (not that any of you straight out asked the question...) Lightning just loves Shiver. A lot. And Shiver doesn't want to hurt his feelings too much (as of late).**

**Disclaimer: Hey, guess what? I own Warriors! JUST KIDDING. I don't own Warriors. I think we all know that. At least I hope we all do... T.T**

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Chapter 22

"Shiver!" Robin snapped, her muzzle twisted with an angry snarl. "Get your butt out here!"

Pregnancy had obviously increased her temper. It had already been worse than a fly-bitten fox. Now it was more like a fox with cats playing in its den. Even the other masters were extra cautious around her, especially Ember. She would snap at him if he so much as tried to touch her. There was no more of that lovey-dovey stuff that had occurred just several sunrises ago. Jade assured everyone that her temper would go back to normal a few moons after she kitted. But to most, that was like walking on claws for a season.

Shiver flinched at the ruddy queen's sharp tone and grudgingly turned back around, quietly muttering to herself that she would never be like that whether she was pregnant or not. She slid out of the cage in a hurry, her ears flat against her head, and her icy eyes glaring straight ahead. She flinched again as Robin slammed the cage door. Hard. She looked back as Robin stormed up to walk in front of Shiver and flicked her tail in farewell to Razor who was the only one left in the cage with Rain out hunting. Razor smiled warmly at her and twitched his whiskers in reply.

Shiver and Razor had been closer than close since the meeting with Rushfire. When they hunted, they no longer split up, but often worked together like a well-oiled machine. One day, they had actually killed a hawk that had been eating a field mouse. Shiver had slunk through the stalks, looking intently for the huge bird's location. When she found it, perched on a rock beside the stream, she had sprinted back along the stream to find Razor attempting to fish. As she padded up behind him, he snagged a fish on his claw, but failed to fling it onto the bank. Instead, it flopped back into the water, splashing Razor as it's bright silver tail slapped the water. Shiver giggled as Razor turned back to see her standing there, his head drenched. He grinned sheepishly and shook his pelt dry.

"Come on," Shiver purred. "I found a hawk eating a mouse! I think we might be able to catch it!"

Razor had followed Shiver through the stalks, his ears pricked. His golden eyes watched her silver-tipped tail weave in and out of view in front of him. When they had arrived near the hawk, Razor peered tenatively around a large clump of stalks. The hawk sat on the stone, one long-taloned foot grasping the half-eaten mouse and the other enabling him to perch on the rock. His curved beak was digging into the carcass and his beady black eyes were focused on its prey, not on the cats that were stalking him.

Shiver flicked her ears at Razor and had disappeared into the stalks, making her way around to the back of the hawk. Razor positioned himself to the side of the hawk, ready to help Shiver take it down. His golden eyes focused on the stalks where Shiver would attack from. His saw a flash of white and silver in between the stalks and Shiver's delicate face appeared in between the stalks, icy blue eyes unblinking as she crouched close to the ground. Razor smiled as she leaped high into the air, her lips parted in a snarl. She landed on the hawk's back and dug her claws through its feathers, into flesh.

For a single terrifying moment, the hawk fluttered up in the air, screeching loudly as it flapped its powerful wings. But it didn't get very far, for Razor shot out of the stalks and into the air. His jaws closed on the hawk's wing and he heard a hollow snap as his teeth broke through the thin bone. The hawk screeched again and fell to the ground. It managed to grab Razor's tail in his sharp beak and was trying to pull the cat from his wing. Razor stubbornly held on. Shiver yowled and quickly ended the battle with a hard bite to the neck.

The hawk went limp and fell to the ground, sending Shiver tumbling into the stream. She quickly pulled herself out and flopped to the ground to catch her breath. Razor, by now, had freed himself from the hawk's beak and was licking off his tail which was smeared with mouse blood. He lifted his head from his task and quickly padded over to Shiver.

"You okay?" He mewed, slightly worried.

Shiver had lifted her soaked head and gave an airy laugh. "I'm fine! Just a little water-logged."

Razor had purred, amused and helped Shiver lick her pelt dry. When they brought the hawk back, Sheek had obviously been impressed, though Robin just snarled and commented that hawk meat was probably stringy and that they should have caught a quail.

Shiver smiled at the fond memories as she followed grumpy Robin down the hall, wondering if the young master was going to explain to her what they were doing.

As if reading her thoughts, Robin growled moodily, "We're going payment harvesting."

"Payment... harvesting?" Shiver mewed warily.

"Duh!" Robin spat, rolling her blue eyes. "We have to have **something **to pay other cats in exchange for their help or a product! What do you expect? That they're all out there thinking, 'Oh, I think I'll go give Sheek one of my slaves today! He's got so many slaves, but I bet he could use one more-'"

Shiver tuned Robin out as she growled on and on about what another cat would think about Shiver's stupidity. This was the chance she had been looking for. Now she just had two more steps to carry out in her plan. She was so close, but one mistake and it would be over.

_You must trust those you don't. You can't trust your instincts. _The words played over and over in her head, making her dizzy. Right now her instincts were telling her to keep as quiet as possible and do nothing to irritate Robin. _Fox dung, StarClan! Why can't you make things easier?_

Shiver followed Robin down to the marsh, her mind whirring as she thought up so many things to say and so many things not to say. She was glad that Robin's slightly plump sides slowed them down so that she could have more time to think. When they reached a spot in the marsh near Blood Tree, Robin instructed Shiver to help her gather reeds. Shiver obediently began snipping the reeds off with her teeth. After several reeds Shiver dared to open her mouth.

"Robin? Have you ever wondered why you don't look like Jade _or_ Sheek?"

Robin stopped from gnawing at a reed and narrowed her eyes at Shiver. "No. I. haven't." She growled, unsure what this little slave was up to.

"And why Jade's milk wouldn't come, even if she had plenty of fresh-kill and lots of herbs to take care of that problem?"

Robin bristled. "If you're implying that I'm not their kit, then you'll soon find yourself with a mouth full of claws that aren't yours!"

Shiver backed off for a moment to add a few reeds to her pile while Robin watched her carefully, her blue eyes gleaming with spite. Yet in her mind, she suddenly realized that Shiver was right. As much as she didn't want to accept it, she didn't look anything like Jade or Sheek. Jade had green eyes and Sheek had dark amber that usually appeared brown. She had blue. Jade was a dark brown tabby and Sheek was a mostly black tortie. Robin's pelt wasn't even the color of his few dark ginger spots. Robin spoke again, curiosity overpowering her anger.

"What are you getting at, slave?" Her voice was wary and hostile.

Shiver set another reed on her pile and straightened up. Her icy eyes had a gleam of challenge in them, though inside her heart was racing frantically. "I'm saying that I know whose kit you really are."

Robin's eyes narrowed even more. "Who."

"Your parents are from ShadowClan," Shiver mewed, her voice strong.

Robin snickered, though it sounded forced. "Liar!"

"I was there when you were stolen," Shiver continued without hesitation. "I was ordered to pick a kit who looked fit to be a master. I chose you. Lightning brought you back."

"Liar, liar, liar!" Robin snarled, though the fight in her voice was beginning to fade.

It explained everything. Her looks, her excellent night-vision, and the way she was strangely more comfortable in the marsh than in the field.

"Ask Lightning." Shiver mewed, her voice daring Robin to disagree.

Robin gritted her teeth, searching for an excuse. Something that would make this not true. Shiver could see the struggle all over Robin's face and her heart pounded, willing for the softer side of Robin to give in. And finally, it did.

"Gah!" Robin sighed, her eyes still glowing with anger. "I always knew this wasn't right. Hurting other cats just because they spoke up for themselves or didn't manage to catch enough prey. Keeping them in cages so they wouldn't escape during the night, while we sleep in our nests that are made out of whatever we want."

Shiver forced herself to stay calm and keep a straight face. She couldn't believe this was working.

"But I was told I was one of them," Robin growled bitterly. "They lied to me. I thought that was who I was. The only cat I would ever be. Harsh and cruel. So I embraced it as best I could... Though my conscious never gives me rest."

Shiver smiled just slightly, her icy eyes sad. "I'm sorry Robin. I wish I could have told you sooner... And now you're-"

"Pregnant," Robin spat the word out as if it were poison. "That little fox dung-eating tom was so pushy and rough. I should have chosen one of the slaves... They would have at least been gentler... Ember's such a jerk. He couldn't just wait. I tried to convince him to put it off until I was at least a season old, but nooo."

Shiver could see the hurt that Robin was trying to mask flickering in her eyes. Momentarily, she wondered if Ember had actually forced himself on Robin. No, that would be unheard of between masters. Robin would have reported it to Sheek, most likely... and then Sheek would have told Ember to go rape one of the slaves instead of Robin.

"Robin," Shiver mewed gently, "you can always go home. Back to ShadowClan."

Robin glanced sideways at Shiver. "I could, couldn't I?"

Shiver smiled. "They wouldn't try to stop you. They wouldn't even have to know where you were going."

Robin looked like she was itching to add something, but she paused. "But they would know that their lies had been uncovered..."

"So?" Shiver shrugged.

"So they would blame you..." The temperamental she-cat was suddenly somber. "No. I won't leave just yet."

Shiver felt excitement bubbling up, gathering on the tip of her tongue, waiting to burst forth. But she remained calm with a few slow blinks and a deep breath. "Why? What good are you here?"

Robin thought for a moment, her blue eyes determined, though they held slight uncertainty. "I want to help you plan an escape."

As soon as the words were off her tongue, Shiver let her excitement go. "Oh, thank StarClan!" She meowed toward the sky.

As Shiver laid out her plan, Robin seemed a little skeptical at first and made Shiver reassure her several times that she really was a clan cat and wasn't being tricked into this.

"What do ShadowClan cats eat the most?" She questioned, just to make sure.

"Well..." Shiver mewed. "It really depends on the cat, but ShadowClan do eat frogs and lizards as well as the occasional rat."

Robin's face lit up. "Frogs? Really? Just the past three sunrises I've been getting cravings for frogs, even though I've never had one! Only ShadowClan queens would get cravings for frogs, right?"

"Well, I don't know for certain," Shiver mewed, "but it sure sounds right."

Robin seemed to transform before Shiver's very eyes. The once rowdy, spiteful she-cat had become an slightly defensive, yet excited queen whose personality could light up a room. A little current seemed to stir in Shiver's chest and she swallowed back the lump of happiness forming in her throat. Robin helped Shiver a great deal with her plan. She pointed out the safest place on the other side of the stream where the kits and Summerpaw could hide as well as which one of the kits Sheek had the most plans for. They would use that kit to lure Sheek out.

For a moment, Shiver wondered why Lightning had never mentioned these things. She quickly dismissed the thought. He had probably just not thought about them or didn't want to oppose Shiver's ideas. Those things seemed characteristic to Lightning.

They finished collecting the reeds and went on to gather bark and leaves from a birch tree at the Border. They also collected rabbit fur from a den nearby and scavenged for a few very sharp pebbles on the edge of the stream. Then, much to Shiver's surprise, they headed for the forest.

She was delighted by the birdsong that filled the air and the light that shone through gaps in the tree branches above. The foliage was new to her and caused some discomfort as she skirted around brambles and over tree roots. They gathered strange red berries that smelled like herbs. As they picked them, Robin's eyes grew dark. After they were done picking the berries, Shiver leaned down to wash the red juice off her paws but found Robin's ruffled tail fur in her way.

"Don't." She growled slightly, though she didn't look angry, just disgusted.

Shiver put her paw down and sat up, confused. "Why? What's wrong?"

Her question wasn't entirely about the berries. It was also directed to Robin's sudden change of expression.

"They're poisonous."

Robin padded through the undergrowth, her tail brushing the ground slightly. Shiver watched after her for a moment before following. She suddenly realized why Robin's thoughts had suddenly become so dark. These berries would be used to kill cats. They would be traded for something else and then shoved down a cats throat. Shiver wondered what the berry did exactly. She imagined Razor on the ground, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, stained red, and blood dripping down his chin from the struggle with his killer. His body convulsed uncontrollably, his golden eyes rolling back in his head. The image startled Shiver and she sucked in a sharp breath. She blinked a few times to calm herself and hurried on after Robin. Robin led her to a stream where they washed their paws, scraping off any remains of the berries on the stones at the bottom of the pool.

As the little seeds and the red scraps of berry floated down the gently flowing stream, Shiver wondered, for a moment, if a cat downstream were to take drink, would it die just because they washed their paws? Life had never seemed so fragile. Yet Shiver had survived the worst torture. How fragile could life really be? How could one berry steal away one cat's life while another lived through a lifetime of torture?

* * *

**Hm... interesting ending, I think...**

**Even more of Shiver's plan is unveiled! YAY! I bet you didn't even think more was coming! Can you take a guess at what the next step is in her plan?**

**~Flamesong  
**


	30. Chapter 23

**Well... I'm kinda depressed by the lack of reviews on this last one... :/ Oh well...**

**So now we're about... three chapters away from the battle! So, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: Me- *chants* Who owns Warriors?**

**Reviewers- Erin owns Warriors!**

**Me- *chants* I said, who owns Warriors?**

**Reviewers- Erin owns Warriors!**

**Me- And who DOESN'T own Warriors..?**

**Reviewers- YOU DON'T!**

**Me- Good job.**

**

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**

Chapter 23

_Welcome to my world. _Shiver thought with a smirk as Lightning gave her an annoyed, questioning glance.

They were padding down the hallway and toward the center room along with Rain, Summerpaw and her kits. Summerpaw walked along quietly, Sky and Myth sticking close to her side while Shadow padded directly down the center of the hall, his eyes gleaming fearlessly. Rain, however, had probably scared away a moon's worth of mice hiding underneath the rotten boards of the mansion with his loud, obnoxious chatter.

"I wonder what this meeting's for," he thought aloud. "I hope it's not for another sale. Oh, oh! Maybe Robin's kits were born! Last time I saw her, it looked like she had swallowed a huge rock!"

Finally, Lightning gritted his teeth and swung his broad head around. "Shut **up **already!"

Rain blinked his big blue eyes in quick acknowledgment and actually shut up for once. Lightning huffed a sigh and turned back around, leading the slaves through the door and into the center room. Sheek was sitting atop his book shelf as they entered and he gave Lightning a quick nod before bounding down and launching himself onto the couch. Shiver sat and waited for Razor, who had been out hunting with Jet. Twist soon entered, followed by Razor and Jet. Razor sat quietly next to Shiver and laid his tail gently across hers, making Shiver's pelt tingle with warmth.

It had only been a half a moon since she had confronted Robin and the ShadowClan queen had grown to twice her original size; width wise. Ashpaw was right, it did look like she had swallowed a huge rock. So, maybe he had been right in the other things he'd said. Maybe she did have her kits. After all, she wasn't here yet and neither was Ember or Jade, though everyone else was present.

While they waited, Sheek sat patiently atop the couch with Lightning. The two toms muttered back and forth. Lightning's eyes were cold and steely.

_Something must be wrong. _Shiver immediately thought.

Lightning's eyes never turned harsh anymore unless he was angry or trying to hide some emotion. Shiver swiveled her ears forward, trying to catch their conversation. She managed to catch a few words, but nothing that was of help.

"...Storm gone... kits... he's always been... Shard's getting demanding..."

"I don't know... sure?"

Shiver's mind sparked as she cast a quick glance at Shard, wondering what Shard was demanding and why. It must be something important, because Lightning's eyes were colder than they'd been in moons.

She didn't have much longer to think though, because right then, Ember and Robin padded in with Jade. They each carried a kit, though Robin looked very tired and was leaning against Ember's flank as she walked. Shiver smiled at the newborn kits that squealed in the masters' grasps.

"As you can see," Sheek boomed, "Robin has had her kits."

After a dark glare from Sheek, the room filled with congratulating yowls.

"She is now going to tell us what their names are."

Ember offered to help Robin up onto the couch, but she pulled away from him and jumped up onto the torn fabric, stumbling only slightly. As she turned o face the crowd, her deep blue eyes were tired, but shone with pride. She set the little kit in her mouth on the couch next to her, away from the edge, and took the others from Ember and Jade.

"This one was my firstborn," she mewed loudly before placing a ruddy tom on the couch in front of her. His pelt was exactly like hers, except for his was sleek instead of ruffled and ragged. "I call him Cardinal."

Shiver couldn't help but smile sadly. The poor little kit might end up getting taught the master ways before he could learn otherwise.

Robin replaced the ruddy tom with a large brown tom with a sleek pelt like Cardinal's. She smiled and looked down at the kit. "This one is my second born. His name is Hyena. He's the only one who hasn't mewed yet."

Ember smiled fondly up at Robin as she named off his kits. His bright eyes glowed with pride as he watched his son lift his head and sniff the air.

"And this," Robin mewed after she set Hyena back and picked up a small gray she-cat who shared Ember's fluffy pelt, "is Tempest."

She was about the size Robin had been when she was a tiny she-kit.

"Thank you Robin," Sheek smiled, "for your gift of new masters for this agency."

Robin smiled and nodded, her temper hidden in her prideful blue eyes. After Robin and her kits had been moved to a corner, Sheek continued the meeting.

"Since Storm mysteriously disappeared..." Sheek made sure to cast a cold glare Shiver's way. "We need a new slave provider. And since someone... helped her escape, that someone will be taking her place."

Shiver's mind went blank. _Oh no. No StarClan, no Larkfeather, no mother. Please don't let this be true._

Razor went rigid beside her, his golden eyes wide. He threw a frantic glance at Lightning, begging him to do something. The black tabby only looked away towards Sheek. Shiver could tell that he had tried as much as he could without Sheek wondering if he was loyal.

Shiver's fearful eyes wandered over to Shard who was staring at her, sneering, his dark eyes full of revenge. For what? Shiver didn't know.

"Shard, take her." Sheek growled, his brown eyes narrowed and his lips parted in a snarl.

Shiver didn't move as Shard stalked toward her.

"Be strong." Razor murmured in her ear.

Shiver closed her eyes for a moment before standing slowly and staring defiantly into Shard's eyes, her glare then sweeping over to Sheek and Lightning. Lightning's eyes flashed in admiration, though the emotion was gone as soon as it was present. Shard snarled. Shiver ignored him, walking to the door ahead of Shard, her head high and her strides strong. Inside, she was a mess of panic and horror.

"If you are thinking of trying anything funny, think again." Shard growled as they padded down the hallways.

"Shut up." Shiver mewed dully, rolling her icy eyes.

"She-cat..." Shard snarled. "You're just begging for a beating, aren't you?"

Shiver rolled her eyes again. "At least I'm not an emotional wreck."

Shard snorted.

The white master led her to the left wing of the building and all the way to the end of the hall. Then, to her surprise, he nudged a door open, revealing a set of stairs that sloped down into darkness, curving out of sight . She blinked, wondering why Lightning hadn't shown her this. Shard shoved her roughly toward the stairs with an unsheathed paw. Shiver set her jaw firmly as his claws tore a bit of her skin and slid down the stairs as quickly as possible.

As she came closer to the bottom, it got colder and darker. Soon, she could hardly see her surroundings. She kept her whiskers against the side of the stairs as they curved downward. The steps were hard and cold underneath her paws, and rubbed against her pads like rough stone. She heard Shard coming behind her, and stayed alert, knowing he could attack her at any time. She wasn't going through this without a fight.

When they reached the bottom, Shard padded off to the wall. A few shuffling sounds followed and a loud scrape. Light suddenly filled the dim room, making Shiver squint. Shard was holding a small stick with fire blazing at the end of it. He turned quickly and dropped the stick into a bucket, quickly stepping back as he did so. The fire stretched up out of the bucket, flames licking at the air. Shard then turned to grab a jaw-full of grass and sticks from the side of the room and tossed them up into the air. They landed in the fire with a loud crackle. The fire blazed higher as Shard also tossed in some strange black rocks that left a few black smudges on his muzzle.

Shiver's pale eyes reflected the flames as they flickered out towards her. Then Shard turned toward her, unsheathing his claws. His dark blue eyes glowed dangerously. Shiver took a deep breath to calm the panic inside her and glared at him.

"So," Shard grinned, the flames tossing shadows across his pelt. "Are you going to make this difficult, or just go with it and get it over with?"

Shiver knew his words were a total lie. There would never be any 'getting it over with'.

"Good luck." Shiver smirked, unsheathing her own claws. _StarClan, get me out of here alive._

Shard snarled. "Fine then. Have it your way."

He slunk toward her, low to the ground, his muscles rippling visibly underneath his pelt. Shiver didn't wait for him to reach her. Instead, she launched herself over him, scoring a long slash down his flank before landing behind him. Evidently Shard hadn't heard much about Shiver's encounter with the fox. Shard's face was the perfect picture of surprise and astonishment. Then he hissed and threw himself at Shiver.

He was definitely not the best fighter alive, as Shiver easily side stepped and grabbed onto his tail and bit down hard. Shard yowled as a loud snap came from his tail. Shiver dropped it, her eyes flaming.

"How does that feel?" She growled. "How does it feel to have your tail broken and to be torn and bleeding? Welcome to my world."

That did it. Shard turned and dug his claws into Shiver's side, ripping them out. Shiver yowled. Her jaws closed on Shard's ear and the taste of blood drenched her mouth. Unfortunately, Shard had been trained in control and torture methods. He stifled a cry of pain and lifted a claw to slash the skin where Shiver's hind leg met her body. Almost immediately, Shiver toppled to the floor. A long gash had been left from her stomach, up to her hip joint, exposing her leg muscles. She sucked in a sharp breath. It was as if her leg had been suddenly, but momentarily, immobilized.

Shard had targeted the leg she had been putting all her weight on, so he easily had her on the ground in heartbeats. Soon, he stood over her, his lips parted in a smirk. As quickly as she could, Shiver slashed Shard across the muzzle and rolled away from him, but he grabbed her scruff and pulled her back to him. Shiver kept clawing him, but he wouldn't let go. She knew it was over, so she closed her eyes and waited. It had only been heartbeats, but it seemed like moons as her senses slowly faded and she could barely hear her own yowls as Shard drew his claws down her stomach.

_You can't trust your instincts..._

The words broke through the calm that had suddenly enveloped her. Like a flash of lightning, the answer came to her. What were her instincts telling her right now?

_Don't loose it. Whatever you do, don't loose it._

Her eyes opened and she saw Shard's face twisted in fury as he held his paw back to strike another blow. What was his plan? Knock her out and then rape her, or rape her while she was barely conscious?

_You can't trust your instincts..._

_You have to loose it. Just let go._

With that, Shiver stopped trying and let the panic bubble up inside of her. To her surprise, it didn't erupt in a loud, sorrowful cry. Instead, she suddenly became full of frantic energy. Her claws scraped down Shard's stomach and she threw him off_. _Everything around her came into perfect focus. Every single crack in the floor was visible to her. Shards claws scraping the floor as he stood seemed to echo in her head, telling her exactly which way he was going.

As he leaped at her, she turned around and took the hit. He pushed her back into the ground, but this time Shiver dug her claws into his muzzle and bit down on his paw. Shard screeched and pulled back slightly, though he was back and pinning her an instant later. His goal now was obvious. Rape her and be done with it. Shiver narrowed her eyes in concentration and aimed for Shard's eyes. She came within a hair of clawing his vision away. Her claws carved a gash right beside his eye, which she was sure would be there for some time.

"Alright she-cat," Shard snarled, blinking blood away from his eye. "You've had your fun, now it's time you learn what love means around here."

But as soon as he finished the sentence, a startled look came into his eyes and his weight was thrown off of her. Before she even turned to look, she knew who it was.

"Don't you dare touch her ever again."

Lightning stood over Shard, his clean black paw pressed to Shard's blood-stained chest. His claws weren't even unsheathed. His golden eyes were narrowed. His growl was calm, but dangerously cold.

Shard narrowed his eyes for a moment and hissed. "Sheek assigned her to me you idiot! And I intend to get everything that I want out of her."

Lightning flexed his claws, but didn't even so much as scrape his fur. Shiver felt a little twinge of pride at how much Lightning had changed. His self control was amazing.

"Does it look like I care?" Lightning growled.

"Oh!" Shard smirked. "I get it. You're just jealous that Sheek assigned me a mate and not you! He never gives you a mate."

"I don't care about that. What I care about is the way you treat this she-cat. Like a piece of your own dirt!" Lightning spat the words into Shard's face, the saliva on his fangs glinting in the firelight. "Did you even know that this she-cat was once asked to become a lower master?"

Shard thought for a moment, narrowing his eyes. Then a slow smile spread across his face. "Oh, Lightning! Got your eye on this she-cat, don't ya?"

Lightning was about to protest, but silenced himself, knowing that it would be better if Shard believed that Lightning just wanted Shiver to himself.

"Ah!" Shard exclaimed, grinning. "I see how you are. You find a she-cat you like and get her. And you treat your she-cat really well."

Lightning snarled a little. "Shard. Just don't ever touch her again. And If I catch you, don't think I won't kill you."

Shard smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. I know not to mess with another tom's she-cat.

Lightning slowly let him up, glaring darkly. Shard shook his pelt out and gave a gash on his muzzle a tender lick.

"Well," Shard mewed, "good luck with her. She's a feisty one."

He threw Shiver a smirk. Shiver spat and hissed furiously. She hated to be talked about when she was standing right there. They could at least act as if she was actually there.

"I'd just make sure you get her pregnant. Sheek wants more kits."

Lightning just glared. "Get out Shard."

Shard quickly obliged, dipping his blood-smeared head and bounding quickly up the stairs, curving up and out of sight. Lightning adverted his gaze to Shiver, his glare almost immediately gone.

"You alright?" He mewed dully, the fire and strength in his voice just a moment ago, completely gone.

Shiver stood and flexed her injured leg, and after a moment, responded. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm... fine..." He growled slightly, blinking. "Come on. Let's get you back to your cage. Razor will want to know you're alright."

Shiver nodded sadly and followed. Lightning's thoughts made the air thick as he led her back to the cage room. She climbed back into her cage wearily. Thankfully, Ashpaw wasn't there. He was probably out hunting. When Razor saw her, he leaped to his feet, golden eyes wide and anxious as they took in the blood on Shiver's pelt. Shiver slid into the cage and forced a small smile.

"S-Shiver?" Razor whispered, his eyes dark and sad.

"It's okay," she murmured. "He didn't..."

Razor's eyes filled with relief and he wrapped his tail around Shiver, pulling her close to him. Shiver let herself be sucked into his pelt, resting her head against his chest and closing her weary eyes. Razor gave her a gentle lick on the head and looked up.

"Thank you Lightning." His eyes were brimming with gratitude.

Shiver hadn't even realized Lightning was still there. She turned and smiled at him, but frowned as she saw his sad smile and the broken glimmer in his eyes. She wiggled away from Razor for a moment to lean out and touch her nose to his.

"I'm sorry." She breathed, so quiet that only he could hear.

Lightning smiled slightly, but just shook his head. Then he turned and padded away, not even bothering to close the cage door. Shiver stood for a moment before pulling her head back in the cage and pulling the door shut with her teeth. She curled up with Razor's tail wrapped protectively around her and his tongue rasping against her bloody wounds. But even as she fell asleep with Razor's body wrapped around hers, she couldn't help but picture Lightning's sad, broken look.

_No. _She told herself. _I love Razor. I can't help Lightning. The best way to help him, is to help him find another she-cat. Yes. That's what we'll do when we get to RiverClan._

But then she realized that maybe, just maybe, some of them wouldn't make it there.

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**WOOTNESS. SHIVER ESCAPED THE EVIL RAPIST SHARD!**

**Okay, so Lightning didn't find out about Sheek's decision to make Shiver a queen until that day. So he couldn't really do anything about it. Besides what he did. :D LIGHTNING PWNS SHARD BY TEN BILLION PWN POINTS!**

**Anyway, so that chapter took forever. Hey, I busted 3,000 words! GO ME! ^^ I believe that's only happened once before in this story...**

**OMGNESS! YOU GUYS HAVE ONLY HAVE 2 MORE CHAPTERS TO SUBMIT CHARRIES FOR THE CLANS. ONLY TWO! SO HURRY HURRY HURRY! I don't have any protests to you guys submitting a ton of them either. Submit as many as you want! I honestly don't care! The more variety to choose from, the better! So GO, GO, GO!**

**And for those of you who don't remember, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, submit charries via review. Just go to my profile page and click on my forums. Then go to the only forum I own and post your charrie there! Or you can pm it to me.  
**

**~Flamesong  
**

**~Flamesong  
**


	31. Chapter 24

**GUESS. WHO. IS. BACK.**

**that would be me... hehe... *guilty smile* yeeeah... sooo... i disappeared for like... three months? sorry bout that... School is slightly insane... soooooooo I PROMISE I WILL NEVER DISAPPEAR LIKE THAT AGAIN, EVER. and if i do, PLEASE spam my inbox. :) as a punishment to my awful behavior...**

**TO THE STORY. okay, so, after re-reading the past five chapters to refresh my memory, i am READY TO CONTINUE. so, this chapter might end up being two short chapters combined... oooor a really short chapter.  
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**Disclaimer: uuuuuuuurrrrg. soooo i'm tired of disclaimers. I GET THE POINT ALREADY. YOU OWN WARRIORS ERIN. AND EVERYBODY KNOW IT.**

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**Chapter 24**

Shiver peered around the corner, cursing herself for being so forgetful and mouse-brained. It seemed as if with all of the details of her "Ultimate Plan" spiraling around in her head, she was never completely sure of what she was doing and she always felt as if she was forgetting something important. She realized that morning that she still hadn't spoken to Twist, _or _arranged to speak with him. It had been three suns since Lightning had saved her from Shard and her leg was paining her. She gave her head a quick shake to clear it and slid around the corner.

The stairs had caused her tremendous trouble as she had ascended them. Not only was it difficult for her to tackle them with her injury, but they also screamed as if speaking for the pain in her leg with each step she took. She had managed to make it all the way to Robin's room without waking another master, or so she thought.

Two dark blue eyes caught the slightest bit of moonlight and watched her carefully. The slightest squeak of the floorboards beneath four massive white paws startled Shiver and she whipped her head around, catching sight of Shard in dismay. He padded calmly over to her, his eyes glaring and mischievous.

"Where do you think you're going?" He smirked, pacing around to Shiver's other side.

Thinking quickly, she growled through her teeth, "I'm going to see Lightning."

Shared raised his brows in surprise, "Really? I'm impressed... Lightning must be a real charmer, hm?"

Shiver clenched her jaw stubbornly.

"Alright then," Shard grinned, stepping closer to Shiver.

"I'll escort you." Shard smiled, quickly padding ahead of her, leading her past both Robin and Twist's rooms to Lightning's. Then he poked his head through the cracked open door and purred, "Oh Lightning, you have a visitor!"

Two golden eyes appeared and a soft growl sent Shard padding back to his room. Lightning grunted, tossed his head, and Shiver stepped inside. As he padded over to his window ledge, Shiver couldn't help but notice the look of strained exhaustion on his face. His golden eyes were wide and unblinking and his tail hung limply. Still, his agile limbs helped him up onto the window ledge without much effort. Shiver sighed, shaking her head.

"I was actually going to talk to Twist... I was going to get Robin to help me. But those stairs were howling like a wolf," Shiver mewed with a nervous chuckle at the end.

Lightning just nodded and flicked his tail for her to go ahead and leave. Shiver didn't move. She frowned, slightly worried. Sure, Lightning was moody, but never this much.

"Lightning," Shiver mewed slowly, "what's wrong?"

When he didn't answer, she bounded up onto the ledge beside him, wincing as her leg complained, and brushed her tail-tip against his flank. Her icy eyes searched his face questioningly. Lightning flinched at her touch and squeezed his eyes shut.

"I've been thinking," He mewed dully. "And... I think I shouldn't go to RiverClan."

Shiver blinked in shock. "What? But-"

"Shiver. Please." Lightning sighed, his voice tired. "I wouldn't fit in. And everybody would hate me anyway..."

"Why would you say that?" Shiver's pale gaze was sad. "You helped everyone escape! Everyone would love you."

"No. They wouldn't. To them, I'm the one who betrayed my father and my friends. I'm not only not loyal, but I'm a killer. A torturer. A rogue. RiverClan was attacked by rogues. Your mother was killed by rogues."

Shiver didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure she could change his mind. After a moment of silence, she murmured quietly, "Where will you go?"

"I don't know..." Lightning muttered, his voice cracking slightly with sadness. "Maybe I'll go live in the city. I've heard that life there is tough. Sounds like somewhere I would be welcomed. Or maybe I'll just roam around."

Shiver closed her eyes, sighing. "I can't make you change your mind," she meowed softly. "But I wish you would come to RiverClan. We'll all miss you. I know I will."

"I'll visit," Lightning smiled at her sadly.

Shiver stayed quiet for a moment before shaking her head and jumping down to the floor.

"Get some rest," she advised. "You're going to be needing it."

Lightning flicked his ears in reply. Shiver glared slightly before sighing and slipping out and down to Robin's room.

She carefully crept in and over to the ruddy master's nest. Three bundles of fur were curled up beside her. Carefully, as to not wake the kits, she woke Robin with a gentle nudge. The queen lifted her head sleepily, but was soon wide awake and padding with Shiver across the hall to Twist's room. Shiver explained her plan to Robin in a hushed voice.

Then, they proceeded into Twist's room. To Shiver's surprise, they found him curled up on the bare floor, his chin resting neatly against his paws. Robin shook her head incredulously, agreeing with Shiver's shocked expression. Shiver quickly stepped back outside the door, flicking her tail to Robin on the way out. Robin nodded and stepped quietly over to Twist. She replaced the soft look in her eyes with one of harsh fiery hate. She unsheathed her claws and prodded Twist on the shoulder.

Shiver listened carefully from outside the door as Robin growled softly, "Can I talk to you for a minute? Outside?"

After hearing a gruff agreement from Twist, Shiver flew down the stairs, this time avoiding all of the steps that squeaked. She slid through the hallway and outside, all the way down to a large boulder that jutted out of the ground a ways off from the mansion. Then she waited, her breaths coming in heavy pants for quite a while after she had arrived there. Her leg ached and she knew that run would cost her, but it was going to be worth it.

After a long wait, the sound of Robin's tough mew reached her pricked ears. She ducked down behind the rock, wondering how exactly she was going to explain herself. Hopefully Twist wouldn't be a very tough nut to crack.

"Who's your mom anyway?" Robin mewed.

"I dunno." Twist meowed quietly, his voice more gentle than Shiver thought it would be. "Sheek always told me that she was a rogue who left me here, so Summer nursed me."

"Hm," Robin frowned. "Do you believe him?"

Twist just shrugged.

"Mmmkay then," Robin mewed slowly. "Then I think I have someone you should talk to."

On cue, Shiver slid out from behind the stone, her icy eyes gleaming in the moonlight. She smiled slightly at Twist's unquestioning glance. She fell into step on the other side of Robin as to not appear a threat.

"What is this about?" Twist meowed in a gruff, slightly defensive voice.

"So that's Sheek's story?" Shiver sighed. "That your mom was a rogue?"

Twist didn't reply. He just glared ahead with his dark eyes, ear flicking irritably and plodding along on huge paws. Shiver shook her head.

"Well, before Shiver says anything else, I would like to tell you a story," Robin mewed. "I'm not actually Jade's kit. I was taken from ShadowClan, which I'm sure Sheek instructed you about, since that was part of your training. Shiver is actually the one who picked me out as a suitable master."

She nodded to Shiver, who smiled. Twist threw a sideways glance at Robin.

"Then who do you think my mother is?"

Robin blinked, slightly surprised at Twist's receptiveness.

"Well, where do you think you got your short, thin coat?" Robin suggested. "What about your longer legs?"

"Summer," Twist guessed immediately.

"Summerpaw, actually," Shiver smiled. "How'd you guess?"

Twist shrugged, "I just figured from the way she treated me when I was little. Plus I do kinda look like her."

Robin nodded, "Did you know that before, or just realize that now?"

"I kinda always knew that," Twist mewed, "I guess. But I was never really sure. So I just listened to Sheek. I should've just asked one of the slaves."

"I knew you weren't a bad cat," Shiver grinned.

Twist only nodded. He seemed a very expressionless cat, though very perceptive.

"Then... why do you do it?" Robin asked quietly.

"I guess..." Twist mewed slowly, "I'm not really all that sure. I guess I feel like it's what I _am. _Who I am. Like I'm suppose to be that way. But it's never felt right. I've thought about asking Sheek about it. But I knew if I did, he would kill me. He can't have a slave who knows the torture methods. And if he sent me away, I would have gone to the clans and told them where you all were. Surely, if Sheek had any brains at all he would have killed me."

Twist was much smarter than Shiver would have ever guessed. To her, he had always seemed to be a push-over. He hid his wisdom quite well. They continued to talk as the moon slowly rose. Twist was going to be an important part of the plan indeed. His intellect would easily help point out any flaw in their plan.

Shiver got the sense that he was more kind than even most normal cats, just smart enough to hide it.

_Hide his intelligence? _Shiver grumbled in her head. _Is that what it means to be powerful? Playing dumb?_

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**WOOOT. that chappie was kinda BORIN. but i'm just getting back and BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS. soooooo i have a few things still burried in my mind that i would like to dig up.**

**But, anyway, do you guys like Twist now? For some reason, when i picture him, I see him like, really elegant. maybe it's just because he's a tuxedo patterned cat... IDK.**

**I HOPE YOU GUYS DIDN'T LEAVE AND STILL LIKE TO REVIEW! D:  
**

**~Flamey  
**


	32. Chapter 25

**Mkay, sooooooooo... only one review... sadness. but i guess that's what i get for disappearing for like, four months. ;(**

**Well, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EMO CLOUD JUNKY FOR REVIEWING! YOU MADE MY LIFE. I LOVE YOU. so have a TWIST PLUSHIE! yay!  
**

**WOOT. SO. THIS CHAPPIE. SHOULD BE MEGA EXCITING. get ready for some CUTENESS.  
**

**Disclaimer- i'm pretty sure we all know what goes here... sooooo... use your mind readin abilities. :)**

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**Chapter 25**

"Oh, shush you crazy mouse-brain!" Shiver purred affectionately, flicking Razor's nose with her tail-tip**. **"I'm trying to hunt here!"

"Sure you are," Razor grinned teasingly. "Suuure. You aren't even trying to scent anything!"

"I am too!" Shiver objected.

"Then why isn't your nose twitching like it usually does?"

Shiver crossed her wintry eyes to look at her nose. "Well then, _Mister Observant_," She mewed sarcastically, "maybe you should try paying attention to your own nose for once."

"I can't!" Razor grinned. "Yours is much prettier."

Shiver laughed, feeling the familiar warm sensation in her ear-tips. The earth was warm beneath her paws as they padded through the field which was now a collage of new green stalks and old golden ones. The scent of fresh blood suddenly reached Shiver's nose. She frowned, perking her ears. No one else was out hunting. She looked over to Razor and jerked her head in the direction of the scent. The hefty tom crouched down lower in the grass, scenting the air with narrowed golden eyes.

Shiver crept forward, Razor behind her. She wove through the stalks, carefully avoiding running into them. She peered through her green and gold surroundings and immediately recognized the form of a cat. Strangely enough, what she didn't recognize was the cat itself.

She was a very slinky she-cat, lean muscled and elegant. Her pelt was dark and shining; the color of the stream at night when only the stars shone. She was facing towards Shiver, crouched over a bloody mess of what looked as if it had once been a rabbit. The only thing that identified it were two long ears, one almost completely torn off. Shiver blinked in surprise at the obvious ferocity of this cat. Her muzzle was coated in the animal's blood and the two slaves watched as she bared her fangs and tore a huge piece of meat from the prey in a splatter of blood. Then she sat up, her chin raised in a prideful way and licked the blood from her muzzle.

Again, Shiver was surprised. This time, by the she-cat's eyes. They were a beautiful indigo, like the sky at sunset. The cat's eyelids hung heavily over her eyes, yet it made her look more entrancing than sleepy. Her gaze seemed almost convicting, yet welcoming at the same time. She blinked slowly, staring out towards the stream with her heavy gaze.

Shiver looked back at Razor who nodded back. She flicked her tail and slid around to the other side of the she-cat; Razor going the opposite way. After several heartbeats, Shiver stepped quietly from the stalks.

"And what do we have here," She mewed, narrowing her icy eyes at the bloody mass of rabbit at her paws, "a prey stealer?"

Razor stepped out opposite from Shiver and glared at the dark she-cat accusingly. The strange feline only blinked at the two curiously, her eyes inspecting every hair on their pelts. Then, she mewed in a soft, feathery voice,

"It's not stealing if there's no scent markings."

"You can tell that to Sheek," Razor growled, taking a step towards her.

She made no attempt to resist, and simply stood. Shiver glared harshly and padded alongside the she-cat, escorting her to the mansion.

When they reached the center room, she scratched at the door.

"Enter," Sheek's voice was gruff, and when he saw Shiver he snarled angrily. "Why are you back? And without a single piece of prey!"

"Master," Shiver mewed with a dip of her head, "we found this she-cat stealing prey while we were hunting."

Sheek blinked in surprise for a moment and then scowled, his dark eyes flaring angrily. He leaped down from his book shelf and stalked over to the she-cat. Yet before he even said anything, the black she-cat meowed calmly,

"How was I to know these lands were yours? There are no scent markers anywhere."

Sheek narrowed his eyes to slits and stood so that his nose was barely a whisker away from hers.

"You **filthy** piece of **rat dung**," he seethed, barely keeping his temper under control. "I ought to make you a slave right here and now!"

The mystifying cat didn't utter a sound. She just sat calmly, her breaths even and her tail unfurled carelessly about her paws. For a moment it seemed that Sheek didn't know how to react. Finally, he decided on rage and raised a paw to swipe her across the face.

No sooner had Shiver inferred Sheek's plans than the she-cat had brought her own paw up to meet Sheek's and force it to the floor with long, gleaming claws curved in crescents around his tortoise-shell fur. Hard, lean muscles flexed beneath her shining pelt. Her expression, however, still had not changed.

Sheek was now in an awkward position, with one paw pinned to the floor, pad up, he wasn't at all balanced and the she-cat had easy access to his throat, though for some reason, she didn't take advantage of this. Instead, she held him there for a moment, staring into Sheek's fuming eyes while her eyes were a wall of clouds, sealing in emotions and thoughts.

Shiver exchanged a glance with Razor and raised a brow in interest. She had a feeling this strange she-cat was to become all too familiar. And indeed, that was what was to happen. Before the two on-looking slaves knew what was happening, they had witnessed a master-crowning ceremony.

"And what is your name?" Sheek meowed, jumping atop the sofa and flicking his tail for her to join him.

The she-cat's reply was too quiet for Shiver to hear. Sheek threw back his head and gave a loud caterwaul. Then they waited in silence. After no more than a few minutes, every master had filed into the room, even Robin and her three kits who were carried by the others and then sat at Robin's paws where they attempted to toddle around on extremely unsteady paws.

"Masters of this agency," he announced, his black claws digging at the torn red fabric, "I have just met someone who I believe could be an important asset to us. At the end of this discussion, I am hoping that you all agree, that she is worthy to become a master."

Immediate murmurs began to fly around the room.

"If you just met her, then how do you know she's worthy at all?" Shard challenged.

"She rendered me helpless with one swipe of her paw and without a single scratch to my pelt," Sheek meowed loudly. "Anyone who can defeat the head master like that is surely worthy to join our ranks."

Shiver watched the masters. Lightning and Robin were muttering very quietly to each other and were a few paces away from the other cats. Shiver wished she could hear what they were saying and so did Razor as he strained his ears towards the two whispering cats. From what the two slaves could tell, neither Robin nor Lightning approved in the least bit. Ember and Jade on the other hand, were speaking much more loudly and it was obvious that they both thought the she-cat had potential. Shard, of course, was skeptical and Twist remained silent, as always.

"Are you sure about this?" Lightning growled. "How do you know that she has what it takes to be a master? It takes much more than just knowledge. You have to have a certain mindset and personality."

In answer, Sheek smiled over at the dark she-cat. "Would you mind telling us a bit about your life?"

"I was born a street cat," she meowed, "and about a moon after I was born, my mother was killed by a tom for trespassing on his territory. He tried to kill me too, but I hid in a small pipe that he couldn't fit into. I hadn't any siblings, so now I was on my own."

The she-cat seemed to mesmerize everyone as they quietly sat in a trance-like state, listening to her tale.

"In the city, things are real tough. Especially for she-cats. Every tom wants a she-cat. Often times, a bunch of toms will gang up on one she-cat and make her choose one tom to go with or they'll all rape her. Now, there's one tom in the city who always gets the she-cat he wants. His name's Viper. I went straight to his neighborhood and began hanging around there, because everyone in the city knows that if any tom messes with Viper's she-cat, he's dead. Now a few other she-cats hang around his place, but they're just a bunch of whacks. They're pelts are always a mess and they'll hit on just about any tom that walks by. So I kept my pelt real clean, just like I always have. And soon enough, he notices me among those other freaks and claims me as his own. The only reason I did any of this was to get directions out of the city without getting mauled before I made it there. I hunted for him, babied him, teased him. He was crazy about me. Around other cats he would act all tough and sinister, but around me, he was like a little kit, begging for attention. It made me sick, but I kept up my act. He taught me all his fighting techniques just in case I ran into any new-comer toms who didn't know that I already had a tom. Viper actually killed a tom once just for making faces at me as we were walking down an alley. After that, no tom came anywhere near to me. After I finally figured a way out, I left the very next day. I've been roaming ever since."

The whole room was silent, shocked by the alluring she-cat's past.

"Well, I think that settles it," Sheek meowed briskly after a few moments. "Dragon, would you accept an invitation to become a master of this slave agency?"

Dragon smiled, though her eyes remained dark. "It would be my pleasure."

Shiver exchanged looks with Razor. She didn't like it. Dragon seemed even more heartless and numb than Sheek himself.

***_Later_***

"She sure is gorgeous, isn't she?" Shard commented to Lightning as the two masters strolled down the hallway with Shiver trailing behind them.

Lightning grunted in reply, "She seems suspicious."

Dragon had only gotten there that day and she was already the topic of almost every conversation. Ember, in fact, already had a scratch on his nose from trying to flirt with the feisty cat. Shard seemed to be more successful. He was now speaking of how he had convinced her to go hunting with him tonight.

"Nonsense," Shard scoffed. "She's completely innocent, not to mention **gorgeous**."

"You've already said that," Shiver grumbled, annoyed.

Lightning whirled around to glare at her. He was keeping up his tough-act very well. "Shut your trap she-cat. You may be mine, but you're still a slave. Learn some respect."

Shard, however had already taken the matter into his own paws with a swipe across Shiver's muzzle which earned him a harsh growl from Lightning.

"You know," Shard continued without paying any attention to Lightning's warning, "I think Dragon likes you. She commented on your unusual black tabby pelt earlier. She said it was 'exotic' and 'unique.'"

Shard smiled teasingly. "Not even you can deny that her eyes really do get to you."

"Her eyes creep me out."

"Sure," Shard pranced around to the other side of Lightning. "But _Shiver's_ eyes don't creep you out?"

Lightning snorted and kept walking. Shard padded off into the cage room and Lightning and Shiver kept walking. Lightning was suppose to supervise Shiver as she hunted and give her a swipe or two if she got off-task since a mere two pieces of prey had been caught today because the appearance of Dragon. Shiver padded up to walk beside Lightning.

"I agree," she mewed quietly. "That cat does give me the creeps."

Lightning smiled. "Robin thinks so too. She thinks that Ember, Shard, and Sheek are going to end up fighting over her. I doubt Sheek would do that, but I can definitely see Ember and Shard killing themselves over that she-cat."

Shiver chuckled and let a few moments pass before speaking again. "I've been thinking, and it seems to me that we're going to need a few more cats on our side who know the arts of torture and pressure points and all that stuff. So I was wondering if you could possibly teach me, Razor, Hawk, and maybe even Ashpaw-er, Rain."

Lightning thought for a moment. "I suppose so," he mewed, "but it will be tough to not get caught."

"I know," Shiver meowed, "but I think that if you taught me some today after I catch a few pieces of prey, I could show Razor and Rain tonight."

Lightning paused and then nodded thoughtfully. "Alright," he grinned. "Something tells me this is going to be fun."

After Shiver had caught a raven, rabbit, mouse, and chaffinch, Lightning led her quietly down to the swamp. Shiver was bursting with excitement at the prospect of learning fighting techniques. She could almost imagine herself as an apprentice back in RiverClan, her mentor teaching her how to ward off warriors bigger and stronger than her.

_But wait. _She thought. _Ashpaw said that he was about to become a warrior when he was captured. I suppose that would make us warrior-age._

The thought somewhat saddened her that she would probably never receive a mentor. She would never complain about cleaning the elders' den or be praised for her first time catching a fish. She would never sit and listen intently, innocent ears perked, to a tale told by the eldest cat in the clan. She frowned slightly. Look at how much of her life Sheek had stolen away. Him and Shard and Ember, Jade and even Lightning. No, Lightning had changed, but he had been one of the ones to steal her. Then again, what would have happened if she hadn't been stolen? She would have never even met Razor, much less fallen in love with him. Yes. This was the way things were meant to be. This is why StarClan chose her to be stolen too.

They reached the marshy grounds in no time at all and Lightning told Shiver to stand still.

"This," he mewed, poking the place between her neck and her shoulder, "is a very important pressure point. Can you feel the way your leg goes limp when I press down?"

Shiver nodded as Lightning pressed against her shoulder with his paw. With a strange aching pain, her head and shoulder automatically flinched and she crumpled to the ground.

"Fascinating," Shiver mewed with a huge grin as she got back to her paws.

Lightning smiled. "The same goes with this point right here."

He lifted his paw to where the bottom of her ear met her skull. This one hurt a little more and she flinched away from Lightning.

"If I had pressed much harder," Lightning explained, "it could have even knocked you out. But since it's awfully hard to locate that pressure point on a struggling cat, it's not used very often. The next spot is where Shard cut you. On every leg, where the inside of your leg meets your body, that's a weak spot. Not really a pressure point, but it makes it hard to use your limbs and is extremely painful."

Shiver nodded thoughtfully. She had a feeling the training session was over, though she loathed the thought of returning to her cage so soon.

"Hey _Lightning_?" She mewed with her most innocent smile. "Do you think we could have a little battle? Just you and me? _Please_?"

"I don't think so," Lightning chuckled. "It's getting late a-"

"_Puleeeeze_?" Shiver begged, blinking up at him with wide, sad eyes.

"Oh, alright!" He grinned, shaking his head. His eyes darkened though. "But no claws. I don't want to hurt you."

Shiver giggled. "Who says I'm the one who's going to get hurt?"

Lightning's worries vanished with her care-free smile and he crouched down to the ground. "Ready?"

"Come and get me!" Shiver growled playfully with a mock-snarl.

Lightning couldn't help but laugh as he leaped at Shiver, landing behind her. Before he could grab her tail in his jaws, she whipped around and hit him across the cheek with her paw. Lightning shook his head and leaped at her again, this time pinning her to the ground. But before he knew it, Shiver had kicked his hind-legs out from under him and he fell as she slid out from underneath him. She darted over to him and nipped at his heels, taunting him to try again.

He held back a chuckle and launched himself at the silky-pelted she-cat. He barreled into her and they tumbled across the ground in a tussle, nipping and batting at each other. They ended up sprawled out on the ground, gasping for breath and giggling hopelessly. As Shiver laughed, her eyes closed, Lightning looked over at her with a smile, watching the way her ears perked up when she laughed. He chuckled, looking up at the moon that was growing fuller by the day. He sighed sadly, knowing there wasn't much time now until they would part ways.

_She'll be with Razor. _He told himself. _He'll look out for her. He'll protect her. He'll be there when she needs a friend. I would just get in the way and remind her of everything she tries to forget._

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**Thanks to Hawksky for DRAGON! She's going to be quite an important charrie. I has BIG plans for her.**

**Okay. Soooooooo now i wanna cry. :(**

**LIGHTNING COME BAAAAAAAAACK. ugh. how can i make MYSELF cry when I'M writing the story? how weird. Anyway, I hope you guys are still out there! Cuz the battle is coming up. Very soon.**

**I've started making plans for a SEQUEL. YAY! Well, I've actually had an idea for a sequel since like, chapter five... but now i'm planning the details. :)**

**The sequel will be titled something along the lines of Those Forgotten. Or, The Left Behind. Or something like that. Can anybody guess what it's going to be about? :D**

**~Flamesong  
**


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